Cricket villages to be opened
James Nixon |New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive Martin Snedden is delighted that two “cricket villages” will be opened in Sri Lanka today as a result of cricket fundraising efforts following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
More than $1m was raised through NZC’s tsunami fund-raising cricket matches which were made possible with the support of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association, the Federation of International Cricketers Associations and through a fundraising partnership with World Vision and the Government.
“That money was used to fund the construction of the village of Marvan Atapattugama, in Sri Lanka’s Matara Province which includes 99 homes and public amenities such as schools,” he said.
The village has streets named after Sir Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe to recognise the connection with New Zealand and with cricket.
Marvan Atapattugama has been built as an initiative of Sri Lanka Cricket through World Vision’s Tsunami Response Programme which is working to meet the immediate and long-term needs of those people affected by the tsunami. The programme has a special focus on children and vulnerable groups. The World Vision programme aims to rebuild communities and recover livelihoods.
The programme focuses on:
Nearly 30,000 people were displaced by the tsunami in the Matara District. The people who will live in the cricket villages have been living in tsunami camps that are run by aid agencies.
“The cricketing public can be very proud of their efforts in contributing to this very worthwhile cause,” Mr Snedden said.
NZC Media Release
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