5 May 2010

Samoa to mark post-tsunami reconstruction

3:13 pm on 5 May 2010

There's to be a celebration later this week in Samoa to mark housing reconstruction that's been completed in the seven months since September's devastating tsunami.

The Samoa Government appointed Habitat for Humanity New Zealand as the principal builder of affordable housing in five of the worst affected areas on Upolu.

Various events are planned to mark their achievements this Friday.

Lua Maea, from Habitat for Humanity, says many volunteers have given time to the project and he estimates about 133 new homes have been built to date.

"We're really celebrating a whole range of good things that has arisen out of this tragedy. It's really a celebration of the number of volunteers who've been to Samoa and by the end of the project that'll be 650 odd. It's a celebration of the new partnerships we've forged with other not-for-profits and for-profit organisations and it's a celebration, most importantly, of the great housing outcomes for the Samoan people."

Lua Maea says the disaster recovery rebuilding project in Samoa ends on June the 30th.