What next? This is the critical question for the next phase of the humanitarian response in Sri Lanka as the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) comes to an end, leaving almost quarter of a million Tamils in displacement camps, World Vision says.
“The conventional war may be over but the real challenge now is to foster an environment where fractured and displaced Tamil communities can heal and have a real chance at creating a future for themselves and their children,” said Suresh Bartlett, National Director of World Vision in Sri Lanka.
The relief, development and advocacy organization has been assisting those in camps with water, food, shelter, non-food relief items as well as nutrition, education and psychosocial programs for children. Going forward, World Vision says there are four challenges that the organization will tackle in order to put Sri Lanka’s children on the road to recovery.
1. Get People Back to Their Homes
World Vision is committed to getting Sri Lankans back to their original land and homes as quickly as possible and then providing them the support they need to rebuild their lives. This will need to, in many cases, be accompanied by de-mining, infrastructure rebuilding and livelihoods set up.
2. Provide Special Support for Children
Support programs designed for children must address their physical, psychosocial, emotional and educational needs. Tens of thousands of children have endured months of extremely violent close-quarter conflict, suffering from a lack of health care and poor access to shelter and food. Aid agencies and government ministries need to identify children who have suffered trauma and distress and find creative solutions to address this special problem.
3. Essential Trust-building Programs
Trust-building programs are key to creating an environment of peace. Many Tamils who come from the area once controlled by the LTTE may never have had Sinhalese neighbours or friends. Likewise those from the South may be suspicious of northern Tamils. A large percentage of those from Colombo or the South have never been to the conflicted North.
World Vision is planning to promote such programs as well as continuing to call on Canada to support the government of Sri Lanka in taking immediate steps to outline a durable solution and plan that addresses the root causes of the conflict, that works to empower communities and local governance, and that helps restore basic services and critical infrastructure.
4. Aid Dollars Needed
Private donations from generous Canadians go a long way to help this crisis. The international community, donors and banks also need to give or lend millions of dollars to fund the return, recovery and rehabilitation phases. None of these programs is possible without the commitment from people around the world to support recovery efforts.
Canadian Donors and Sri Lanka
World Vision donors support more than 61,577 children in Sri Lanka, including 17,500 children sponsored by Canadians. Sponsored children are not in the conflict zone. World Vision began working in Sri Lanka in 1977.
Please make a donation, to help families recovering from this crisis.
