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Sri Lankan-American Rebuild Homes and Lives in His Family’s Hometown of Matara Nick Jayanetti, who was born in Sri Lanka and migrated to the U.S. in 1989, left his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he works as an executive at Bank of America headquarters, on the afternoon of December 25th, 2004. He was headed to Colombo, the capital city on the west coast of Sri Lanka, for his mother’s birthday celebration. Although Nick had received word on the plane that a tidal wave had hit Sri Lanka, nothing could have prepared him for what he would see upon landing on December 27th, just hours after the tsunami had destroyed massive sections of the coast of the Indian Ocean island. What was meant to be a joyous time with his family and friends--a time when most Sri Lankans delighted in festivities and fireworks to celebrate the holidays-- turned quickly to one of loss, grief and sorrow. After spending nine days in Sri Lanka, witnessing firsthand the death and destruction, providing rice and dhal (lentils) at disaster-response stations, and delivering much needed medical supplies to teams of doctors helping the injured in relief camps, Nick knew his homeland would need much longer-term solutions to truly begin its recovery. He could not overlook the crude living conditions of so many Sri Lankans: thousands were sleeping either unsheltered or in tents. He realized then that he wanted to focus his efforts on shelter, and he began to channel the support of friends and colleagues who were willing to help towards this goal. One of the most severely affected areas was around the southern coast town of Matara, where Nick’s family came from. Immediately upon his return to the U.S., Nick, along with his wife Jina and a colleague Brian Carney (also execs at Bank of America), embarked on a campaign to raise funds to rebuild houses and lives of families made homeless in the Matara area. When they learned of Bank of America’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), Nick, Jina and Brian contacted the HFHI major donor officer in Charlotte and decided to funnel the funds they raised through HFHI to HFH Sri Lanka. Donations came from friends and colleagues in Charlotte as well as matching funds from the Bank of America. The Ben & Jerry’s ice cream franchisee in Charlotte used the annual “Free Cone Day” to encourage customers to donate to Nick’s efforts: they raised a remarkable $10,000 during the eight-hour event! Their efforts resulted in donations of $96,000, now being used by HFH Sri Lanka to build homes in Matara. In January 2006, on another visit to Sri Lanka, Nick accompanied HFH Sri Lanka staff to the town of Dickwella, just east of Matara, to look at some parcels of land suitable for the houses his team’s donation would sponsor. A three-acre site was chosen and purchased in May 2006, sufficient for the construction of 38 homes for homeless, tsunami-affected families. Thirty homes will be built using funds raised by Nick and his team, with the balance to be built with donations from the American Chamber of Commerce in Budapest, Hungary. A lot will also be designated for a community center. The project will have potable water provided by a well on the project site, and electricity will be installed at a later date.
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