A ceremony was held on Wednesday 17th May 2006 to celebrate the commencement of construction of 75 new houses in Sainthamaruthu, Ampara. The reconstruction is funded by a German company, Knorr-Bremse Global Care (KBGC) and implemented by UN-Habitat. This project falls under the Government of Sri Lanka's "Home Owner Driven Scheme", whereby a grant is provided to beneficiaries, topped up by KBGC to enable a complete house to be built.

Mrs Julia Thiele-Schurhoff (Knorr-Bremse Global Care), their local representative Mr Rohan Fernando (Trade Promoters Limited), Mr Tim McNair (UN-Habitat Housing Sector Coordinator) and Mr Abeysekera (UN-Habitat District Manager) were the Guests of Honour, and participated in the laying of foundation stones. Also in attendance were the Divisional Secretary and Municipal Commissioner, along with over 150 beneficiaries.

The assistance provided by KBGC is very timely, as the east coast monsoon is due in October, and it is hoped that weatherproof accommodation will be completed by then. It is anticipated the entire village will be completed by December 2006.