Fifteen Sri Lankan families made homeless by the 2004 tsunami, have now moved into their newly-completed homes. This follows much hard work and a £50,000 donation by Genesis Housing Group to Homeless International.

The families, from the districts of Galle and Kalutara, were living close to the beach in December 2004 at the time of the tsunami. They lost their homes and have since been living in temporary shelter.

With support from Sevanatha, Homeless International's NGO partner in Sri Lanka, and The Women's Bank, the families formed a savings group and purchased plots of land about 3km away from the coast. They then carried out much of the building work themselves over the next nine months before completing the houses.

Now, five of these families live in Miriswatta, Kosgoda, in the district of Galle, and the other ten families live in Ethagama, Payagala, in the district of Kalutara.

Genesis funded the construction of housing and related common infrastructure for these families. Each house now enjoys concrete paved access roads, water and electricity supply, drainage and private toilets.

Anu Vedi, Chief Executive of Genesis Housing Group, said, 'We are extremely pleased to support Homeless International and its partners in the local area. They have worked so hard to help rebuild lives after the tsunami. There has been great partnership working and Genesis is committed to a long-term relationship with this remarkable community of 15 enterprising families in Sri Lanka."

Larry English, Chief Executive of Homeless International said, 'With the support that Genesis has provided, 15 families devastated by the 2004 tsunami have finally been able to rebuild their lives - a truly remarkable achievement. Genesis is leading the way in demonstrating how UK housing associations can support poor communities in the developing world, and we are delighted to have their continued commitment to a long-term partnership with this community in Sri Lanka'.

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For further information or images, please contact Diana Evans, Press Officer at Genesis Housing Group on 020 8150 4178; diana.evans@ghg.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Homeless International supports partners in Africa and Asia that are working with poor communities to reduce poverty and to improve living conditions. We believe that poor communities have a right to safe and secure housing, and that through working together to express their ideas and needs, they can play a central role in creating equitable cities. Homeless International's uniqueness from other charities draws from the long-term working relationships we have with partners rather than providing one-off grants for short-term projects. This means we can develop new initiatives with our partners over a number of years. If you would like to find out more about the work of Homeless International and our partners in Asia and Africa visit

www.homeless-international.org

Sevanatha is a local non-governmental organisation (NGO). It has been active for over 17 years, developing micro credit programmes, urban environmental improvement programmes and carrying out awareness-raising on urban poverty issues in Sri Lanka.

Genesis Housing Group is a social investment business. It provides homes and services, supporting customers and communities to build futures. Genesis provides homes and services to tens of thousands of people across London and the south east of England. The Group consists of PCHA, Pathmeads, Springboard and St Matthew housing associations. Genesis also has in its group a charitable foundation, Genesis Community. It is one of the largest and most diverse housing groups in the UK, owning and/or managing more than 38,000 homes. Its overriding aim is to put customers first and provide excellent service to all.