A Catholic priest from Sri Lanka is looking ahead to completing a course in Birmingham that will help him to co-ordinate a major new relief project for tsunami victims.

Father Damian Arsakularatne left his parish in the dioceses of Galle, southern Sri Lanka, in January to study management at Newman College of Higher Education, in Birmingham.

Upon completing the course in March, he will return to Sri Lanka and use his new skills to coordinate a £23 million tsunami aid programme with a local branch of charity Caritas International.

Father Damian said: "Twenty per cent of Sri Lanka's population have been affected by the tsunami. In the southern province 60,843 families and 34,136 students have suffered and over 600 children remain destitute with the loss of one or both parents.

"Immediate relief was needed after the devastation in terms of shelter, food, water, hygiene and counselling but my role now is to help this fallen nation through a long-term strategy.

"I have come here to learn about social enterprise, finance, management skills, and voluntary organisations; knowledge that I can take back with me to help resettle, rehabilitate and reconstruct badly affected parts of Sri Lanka."

An estimated 40,000 people died in Sri Lanka when the tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004.

Caritas International is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations in more than 200 countries and territories.