France has been supporting the Eastern province’s reconstruction and development since 2005 through a major infrastructure project of 79 million euros (approximately 12 billion LKR) funded by AFD in the District of Trincomalee. The integrated project focuses on the construction and rehabilitation of public infrastructures damaged by the 2004 tsunami, such as roads, bridges, water supply networks, electricity transport networks, and community social infrastructures (schools, libraries, medical centres, etc).
Ambassador Christine Robichon visited the Kinniya water tower which will be, once completed, the highest water tower in Sri Lanka. The construction of this equipment is part of the ongoing 22.8 million euro investments (approximately 3.5 billion LKR) in the water sector under the integrated project, aiming at providing quality drinking water to more than 300,000 inhabitants, including inhabitants of Kantale, Kinniya, Trincomalee, Thamphalakamam and Sampalthivu.
The Ambassador of France also visited Ayurvedic hospital at Madaththady, Milk collection centre at Palathopur and Periyapalam to Knox Road, some emblematic examples of the sub-projects carried out under the Community Development component of the integrated project by NECORD, the North East Community Restoration and Development Project.
Through a 8.36 million EUR funding earmarked to this component (approximately 1.3 billion LKR), AFD helped conduct 209 sub projects in the Trincomalee district (Trincomalee, Town and Gravets, Muthur, Verugal, Echchalumpattu, Kuchchaveli, Seruwila and Kinniya) such as health, education, water supply and sanitation, irrigation, rural roads, fisheries, irrigation, live stock, agriculture and development.
During the visit, Ambassador Christine Robichon travelled on the ‘A15’ road and the ‘B10’ road funded under the road component of the integrated project and almost completed. One month ago, she participated with Hon Basil Rajapakse in the grand opening of the five major bridges on A15 which are also part of this project.
The reconstruction and upgrade of the road network in the Eastern Province will mark a substantial improvement of transports in the region and will have thus a strong impact on local economic development and on social integration of communities.
In Trincomalee, Ambassador Christine Robichon also met the pre-school teacher committee of the District and some stakeholders of the education programme funded by France in Districts of the Eastern Province. This programme aims to contribute to implement national educational policies and curricula effectively towards the “Education for All” goal. It improves exchanges between civil society and public authorities in charge of early childhood education sector and trains pre-school teacher committees at zonal, district and provincial levels.
The programme has been implemented since January 2010 with a grant from AFD amounting to 178,000 euros (approximately 27 million LKR), dedicated to support four Sri Lankan organizations - Kinniya Vision in the Trincomalee district, National Pre-school Development Foundation in the Batticaloa district, FEED Sri Lanka in the Ampara district, as well as the National Workers Congress in Colombo – and a French NGO Solidarité Laïque.
At the end of her visit, H.E. Christine Robichon stated that France is proud to contribute, through all those projects, to the development of this region, struck by natural disasters and by a conflict that lasted for more than two decades.
