The Sri Lankan government has granted World Vision access to the country’s war-torn north, to help families who are returning home.

“This is very encouraging news and enables us to move into the return areas and assist children and their families to rebuild their lives,” said Suresh Bartlett, National Director of World Vision Sri Lanka.

The return of more than 160,000 people displaced during the last few months has heightened the need for more support for the return and resettlement programs in these districts. Once they return, families must adjust either to a new environment or to a familiar environment transformed by war. Many people lost loved ones in conflict.  All this could mean high stress for communities eager to rebuild their lives.

The war also hampered the growth of the whole region and the key sectors of health, education, water and sanitation and economic development were adversely affected. 

World Vision’s experience crucial

When the conflict ended last May, some 280,000 people were housed in displacement camps in northern Sri Lanka. This posed a huge challenge for the government and aid agencies trying to support them.

World Vision has been supporting the camps since last March but now wants to extend its programs to the areas of return where its vast experience in relief and rehabilitation work could add much value to the government’s return and resettlement program.

World Vision’s Area Rehabilitation Program is specifically designed for communities that have been adversely affected by conflict and disaster. The model focuses mainly on rebuilding livelihoods, water resources, health and education.

Support for people still in camps
 
World Vision continues to support the people who are still living in camps. In the last nine months, World Vision has trucked more than 12 million litres of water to the camps, distributed more than 120,000 packets of cooked food and 105 metric tons of complementary food to the communal kitchens in the camps.

The new access to the north allows World Vision to work in all the districts including Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya.