Building Cost Effective Houses

Building Training Centres

Today, the rising cost of the traditional building materials have escalated to such heights, that building a simple, decent house is beyond the reach of many, including the middle class. Many Sri Lankans still insist on the conventional houses that are made of bricks, cement, sand etc. & these items have increased many folds
over the last few years.

Cost effective houses are made with the use of the Building Training Centres (BTC) at HFHSL.  At the BTC, the beneficiaries are trained to make their soil bricks, concrete columns, doors / window frames and the construction of their houses etc.
The "sweat equity" of the beneficiary helps minimise the cost of the materials and the training received will make them acquire new skills for a better livelihood.

Beneficiaries Pile Soil Blocks Made At The Local BTC.

Environmental & Energy Saving Initiatives

By working towards the 7th Millennium Development Goal ‘Ensure Environmental Sustainability’, the building of houses were coupled with environmentally friendly and energy saving initiatives. The potential of the Building Training Centre played a pivotal role and was seen at it's best at the Habitat Resource Centre of Batticoloa.

Solar Cookers

Manufactured at the BTC, It truly works! -  a meal of rice & curry can be cooked in three hours using the blazing sunlight.  A product that would also save trees from being chopped down.With nearly 77% of Sri Lanka using firewood and 17% using costly LP Gas — the introduction of Solar Cookers is creating excitement and is an alternate energy product that does not induce global warming by emitting green house gases.

What's cooking....? Free Energy From The Sun....

Home Gardens

A nursery where plants are propagated for many housing projects and given away free of charge to the homeowners. Over 7000 seedlings of  forestry trees like Jak, Teak, Kumbuk, Mahogany  plants are being nurtured along with many other vegetable and fruit plants that are suitable for the area and for home gardens.

A Varity Of Plants Are Grown At The Nursery