KEY POINTS:
Money raised by New Zealanders in the wake of the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami has led to the construction of two "cricket villages" in Sri Lanka.
The "cricket villages" - so-called because they were funded by money raised through charity cricket matches held in New Zealand and Australia after the tsunami hit - will be officially opened on Friday.
The villages are Sri Lanka's Matara Province, at the southern tip of the country, which was devastated in the tsunami.
Over $1 million was raised at the matches by New Zealand Cricket, World Vision, and matching funds provided through NZAid, the Government's international aid and development agency, a spokeswoman for World Vision said.
The funds built Mavan Atapattugama - the New Zealand-funded village of 99 houses and public amenities - including schools and school supplies.
One village had such a strong Kiwi connection that two of the streets - named by the communities - were Sir Richard Hadlee Mawatha and Martin Crowe Mawatha, the spokesperson said.
Mawatha is the Sri Lankan word for street.
Eight Sri Lankan cricketers and Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Jayantha Dharmadasa, will attend the village openings, along with Chris Bethwaite of World Vision New Zealand.
Two New Zealand engineers had been working in Sri Lanka for over a year on the project, the spokesperson said.
Wellington engineer Tom Magill, who was appointed national construction adviser for Sri Lanka's reconstruction projects, said there was "nothing like seeing life go back to normal".
"Having children go back to school and securing homes for families who lost their houses...," he said.
"I know that 99 families are housed today because of the generosity of the average Kiwi person who attended the cricket games in support of the tsunami relief."
- NZPA
