Update: Sri Lanka Crisis
Asia’s longest running conflict may have reached an end, but over 280,000 people, including 80,000 children, are displaced as a result of the fighting. The crisis poses a huge challenge for humanitarian agencies responding to the needs of displaced families. World Vision responded to the crisis with an initial focus on immediate relief activities and is now planning to support the return of families to their homes, helping them rebuild their lives.
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Background
Since the beginning of 2009 a string of military victories by the Sri Lanka Army has brought about a turnaround in the long drawn out war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The war in Sri Lanka began nearly three decades ago and since then over 75,000 people have lost their lives.
Tens of thousands of men, women and children fled the war zone, seeking safety and shelter in camps in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka and in Trincomalee in the east.
The destruction of health, water, sanitation and educational infrastructure as well as reduced agriculture, fisheries and other market-trade productivity have contributed to the vulnerability of communities in the conflict-affected districts.
While the conventional war ended on Sunday 17 May with the capture of the last strip of coastland occupied by the LTTE in north east Sri Lanka, the real challenge now is to help create lasting peace and rebuild the lives of thousands of people displaced by the conflict.
World Vision’s Response
Emergency relief
World Vision has been working with other aid agencies to support and care for the displaced persons in the camps through activities in food aid, shelter, water distribution, non-food items and child protection. World Vision's response has included:
- The distribution of 150,000 packs of cooked food and 95 metric tonnes of complimentary food
- The trucking of 12 million litres of water to the camps
- The distribution of 3,000 tarpaulins for family shelter
- Establishing 3 child-friendly spaces and 8 temporary learning spaces, providing over 3,500 children with a safe, structured environment to receive education, interact with their peers and regain a sense of normality
- The provision of hospital care packs for 700 families
- Setting up breast feeding tents in every campsite across Vavuniya district to provide a private space for nursing mothers
- Daily supplementary feeding programme for 500 children and 80 pregnant and lactating mothers.
Livelihood recovery
World Vision is planning to support the return of the IDPs back to their homes and helping them to rebuild their lives by supporting livelihood asset recovery and assisting communities in the areas of shelter, water, sanitation, child protection, and local capacities for peace.
World Vision has had a presence in northern Sri Lanka for 15 years, working with communities to provide emergency relief and rehabilitation assistance.
Children sponsored by Australians
There are no sponsorship activities or sponsored children
affected by the displacements. . Please be assured that if we receive information of concern regarding any sponsored children we will contact sponsors immediately.