Building Community
writer: daniele bora
photographer: Richard Koechlein
* to protect individuals, some pseudonyms have been used. |
Amantni* offers a friendly welcome. photo | courtesy of Richard Koechlein |
Two and a half miles from the blue waters of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lankan communities that were devastated by the 2004 tsunami have finally found a home in Panwila/Rathgama. This newly built village was constructed on land donated by the Monrovia Estate, a former coconut and cinnamon plantation.
To accommodate residents’ needs, a learning center with a library, Montessori school, technology facility and public meeting space was developed and has become the hearth of the village. This is the successful result of an unlikely partnership between two groups located halfway around the world from Sri Lanka: the Minnesota chapter of Architecture for Humanity (AFH:MN) and the Minnesota Sri Lanka Friendship Foundation (MNSLFF). Their brainchild, created in Minnesota and manifested in Sri Lanka, has shown participants, donors and beneficiaries alike that groups can combine their talents to efficiently meet a variety of needs.
Acknowledging that privileged lives and educations are fruits of circumstance, the members of AFH:MN and MNSLFF were drawn together to give back. |
Six months after the tsunami, this wall echoes the desperation of the Sri Lankan people. photo | courtesy of Miranda Bryant |
| In December 2004, seven young Minnesotan
architects and designers from different firms
realized that they could use their skills to rebuild
communities of South Asia. Two months later, a
construction company owner, Jeffrey Swainhart,
called a meeting to discuss feasible ways to help.
“We were all very interested in international affairs
and architecture,” Swainhart says. “Many of us
had heard of Architecture For Humanity.” As an
international umbrella organization, Architecture
For Humanity (AFH) works to support and inspire
individuals to make the most of their professional
skills for the benefit of people in need. “That’s how
it all started,” says Cassie Neu, a landscape designer. |
Residents cannot return to the ruins of their destroyed
homes along the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
photo | courtesy of Richard Koechlein |
"I remember sitting around the table and thinking,
'What can we do?'" After their meeting, the architects
and designers approached AFH to create a local chapter.
Through this the Minnesota chapter of AFH was born.
MNSLFF is a nonprofit that was also created in the
wake of the 2004 tsunami, and it shares the same
compassionate commitment as AFH:MN. "We have
always been very active within our community, but we
didn't have an organization; everything was always done
on an informal basis," says A.S. Liyanapathiaranage,
MNSLFF president. "Immediately after the tsunami we
had a few meetings and we understood that we had to
do something."
By April 2005, after Liyanapathiaranage's tireless
fundraising and campaigning, MNSLFF had a plan and
sufficient funding to move forward. Having the idea
but not the expertise to create the blueprints, they
introduced the learning center project for Panwila/
Rathgama to AFH:MN members who were keen to
provide their skills free of charge. |
Pei-Ling Ko (left), Jeffrey Swainhart (left-center), Colin Kloecker (right-center) and Jess Roberts (right) of AFH:MN discuss
design ideas for the Shimeck Learning Center. photo | courtesy of Richard Koechlein |
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