For months after the tsunami, Sarat Gamini was idling in his temporary house trying to come to terms with the loss of his youngest child, his beachside home near Kalamatiya, and his means of income - a boat engine and nets. Without them he could not go fishing.

Now, thanks to Caritas' support of his local fishing cooperative, Sarat is back at sea. He is grateful for his new engine: "It's a big thing, because I wasn't in a position to buy one."

Like all cooperative members he pays a small percentage of the value of his replaced assets into a joint account, which is then available to others as a revolving fund.

"It will take some time to establish myself and to contribute to the fund," says Sarat. "I am recovering but it's very difficult. I won't forget this experience in my lifetime."

Pic: Sarat Gamini stitches nets in his new boat, supplied by Caritas.