The U.S. Embassy this week opened two projects in Ampara District aimed at enhancing the lives of multiethnic farming families and providing tangible peace benefits for war-affected youth and
other community members.

These initiatives funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) include an irrigation project in Muwangala, one of four sites in which USAID has assisted the Galoya Right Bank 13 Farmer Organization to rehabilitate sluice gates and de-silt areas of a canal, effectively tripling
the arable land available for paddy and sugar cane cultivation. Additionally, in Sammanthurai, USAID has supported the Al-Quraisha Social Development Society to renovate a community center that serves both Muslims and Tamils in the area, creating a shared public space for interaction.

Together these two projects represent approximately US$ 30,000 of assistance from the United States, and are expected to benefit more than 20,000 Sri Lankans in the East.

"These projects are tangible evidence of the goodwill between the people of the U.S. and the people of Sri Lanka, and will improve the lives of several thousand Sri Lankans," said Mr. Chris J. Long, Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, who attended the formal openings in Ampara on the 23rd. "As tangible benefits of peace, these initiatives speak for themselves. But the relationships and trust developed are just as important as the more visible results."

USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) supports efforts to end the long-standing conflict in Sri Lanka by partnering with local groups to demonstrate tangible benefits of peace; increase the exchange of accurate, balanced information on peace-related issues; and reduce or prevent incidents of violence in conflict-prone communities. Since the OTI program began in March 2003, USAID has invested US$ 4.78 million in support of more than 210 local initiatives in the north, south, and east of Sri Lanka.