Alpha Orient Lanka Managing Director Paul Topping says good progress is being made thanks to the Sri Lanka Tsunami Relief Fund which is enabling the construction of 20 houses for 100 people and a community

centre in a new village.
By the end of last year the international travel retail business had responded brilliantly to build the fund to around $320,000, although Topping emphasises that the appeal is not closed. Working closely with Rakhita Jayawardena, Topping said he was pleased with the progress to date, but added that he is concerned about the rising costs of labour and building materials ‘because everyone is building in Sri Lanka’. Topping says the aim is to get the first group of families into their new homes by next January and all the remaining families fully housed by March of next year.