St. Paul Pioneer Press | 01/17/2006 | A gift of shelter

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 01/17/2006 | A gift of shelter: "A gift of shelter
Left homeless by the tsunami, 50 families in Sri Lanka begin moving into new houses built in a picturesque subdivision, thanks to efforts and donations from Minnesotans.

MONROVIA ESTATE, SRI LANKA

BY BRIAN BONNER

Pioneer Press

In the past 18 months, Samarage Abeyrathna lost his wife to a car accident, his house to the tsunami and his mother to natural causes.

Left alone to raise three young daughters, the 43-year-old jobless man's poverty and suffering are not likely to end soon. But he'd have no chance for a better life without a house. And now he's got one. 'This is the only consolation I have at the moment,' he said.

Whatever the future holds, Monday was a day for celebration. It was the official move-in for 50 families at the birth of a village."