Dilapidated homes, bridges, and acute shortage – The People tell Gammadda their woes

While a myriad of crises plagues the citizenry of Sri Lanka, one movement has stood tall.

Today, Gammadda, which is perpetually for the people, by the people launched its latest endeavour.

That is, the 6th edition of its Door-to-Door campaign.

This year's edition of Gammadda's Door to Door campaign kicked off from the Jaffna, Matale and Kalutara districts.

The objective of the Door to Door initiative is to gather scientific data on the issues faced by average Sri Lankans, analyse them and propose sustainable solutions thereafter.

The University of Peradeniya has joined hands with Gammadda similar to previous years to make this initiative a success.

The primary task of this year's campaign is to comprehend the ground reality faced by Sri Lankans across the island owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that ensued thereafter.

MATALE

The Gammadda team assigned to Matale toured across many villages situated in the Wilgamuwa Divisional Secretariat.

This is where R.M. Ekanayake resides. He is a farmer in village of Idambathwala.

This structure which they call home, houses 5 people.

Without fuel or fertilizer, they have been unable to cultivate, while survival had become almost impossible.

Although two children who are of schooling age reside in this house, they have been forced to abandon their education owing to acute poverty.

"If we cannot feed them, they cannot go to school. I did not cook lunch. Whatever we cook for lunch is what we consume at night." Ekanayake said.

JAFFNA

The Gammadda team in the Jaffna districted visited the villages of Sandilippai, Uyarappulam,Ilawalei, Sillalei and Chulipuram today.

A common inconvenience faced by residents in these areas was the inability to cultivate their lands due to the fuel shortage.

Securing jobs for a daily wage has also proven difficult as a result of the current situation.

Another major concern in these areas is the lack of access to potable water. This has caused many in the area to suffer from kidney related diseases.

KALUTARA

Another Gammadda team toured the villages of Millaniya, Uduwara, Muwapattiya and other areas in the Kalutara district today.

The lack of a proper road network is key issue faced by residents of the Muwapattiya village. This has compelled residents to travel more than 9km to reach a main road, that could have been shortened to a mere kilometre had a proper access road to the village been constructed.

Area residents including school children are made to endure a gruelling struggle each day to travel owing to this.

If this access road is constructed, the villagers will only have to travel 1.5 km, which is the pressing issue at hand.

The current economic crisis has further compounded their woes.

Our teams will continue to tour many more villages in Jaffna, Matale and Kalutara even tomorrow.

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