Three years after the tsunami, significant progress has been made in resettling those who were displaced by the disaster. In the south more than 90 percent of those displaced have been resettled. However the scale of the resettlement and the difficulty inherent in re-housing whole communities means that inevitably some families have difficulty adjusting to their new homes. This is also due to the fact that the vast majority of survivors were resettled in government or other donor-constructed housing schemes often located some distance from their original homes.

While resettlement has been largely successful, some families have chosen to leave these schemes and return to their original homes and villages where they often stay with relatives. At some resettlement sites more than 50 percent of residents have left, leaving hundreds of donor-built houses empty.

A number of factors contribute to dissatisfaction with new donor-built housing including the distance of these settlements from towns and lack of amenities and public transportation options at the resettlement sites. Residents often complain that little thought was given to the environment during the construction of post-tsunami housing schemes. While homes were constructed at great speed, the land was stripped of trees and vegetation. As a result, despite comfortable housing, the environment is often quite stark and unpleasant.

To encourage people to remain in their newly constructed homes, the Salvation Army and Sewalanka have launched a home gardening project to encourage people to make use of the land around their homes to make them more attractive, productive and homey. By working on the land it is hoped that people will be able to generate extra income and begin to feel a real connection with their new environment.

Working with 300 resettled families in Galagodawatte, the largest post-tsunami housing scheme in Galle, the Salvation Army and Sewalanka have conducted training sessions on market gardening, composting and nutrition. Residents attend lectures and receive practical training on model plots of lands and are encouraged to grow crops that they can consume or sell locally. Currently residents are growing a range of vegetables including pumpkin, aubergines, tomatoes and bananas. The extra income generated by this small scale cultivation should provide them with an incentive to stay on their land.

Attempts by those resettled after the tsunami to return to their original homes are often unsuccessful and inevitably disruptive, preventing families from returning to normality. Sewalanka feels it is necessary to continue working with families long after their resettlement to help them identify with their new locations and build new vibrant communities.