Rebuilding Lives After Ditwah: Skills, Support and a New Beginning in Kandy with 'Gammadda Re-build'

COLOMBO (News 1st): A new phase of the Gammadda Rebuild initiative, aimed at restoring the lives of communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, was launched in Kandy, with specialised training programmes conducted today for participants engaged in fields such as masonry, carpentry, electrical work, metal fabrication, plumbing, and garment design.

Certificates and essential tools required for their respective trades were distributed to the participants today, marking yet another step forward in helping these communities rebuild not just their livelihoods, but their lives.

Group Director of the Capital Maharaja Group and Leader of Gammadda, Chevaan Daniel; the Additional District Secretary of Kandy, Niluka Bulathge; the Director General of the Department of Technical Education and Training, Dilki Wathsala Marambe; Officials from the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA); and the Gammadda Team, including the Assistant Manager of Gammadda, Gihan Udoyga, participated in the occasion today. 

Partnering in this effort is Australia’s Minderoo Foundation, joining hands with Gammadda to strengthen support for affected communities.

In the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, emergency relief operations were carried out over several days through the Sahana Yathra initiative, a nationwide volunteer-driven relief effort led by the Maharaja Media Network, providing urgent assistance to those in need.

The next phase of this effort centred on helping families recover and rebuild their lives, leading to the implementation of the Gammadda Care and Dare programme, across several districts in the country.

Now, as the third step in the journey of recovery and rebuilding following the cyclone, the Gammadda Rebuild initiative is being carried forward with a renewed focus on sustainability and long-term empowerment.

The programme aims to uplift individuals engaged in self-employment who were severely affected, by improving their professional skills and enabling them to rebuild their livelihoods.

The initiative is being jointly implemented by Gammadda in collaboration with the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority, the Department of Technical Education and Training and the Kandy District Secretariat.