Sri Lanka emergency

18 May 2009

As the Sri Lankan government declares an end to fighting in northeast Sri Lanka, the country is counting the humanitarian cost of the recent conflict, which has left an estimated 200,000 people displaced from their homes.

Families who have fled the conflict zone have ended up in camps such as this one.

Photo: ACT International

Those who managed to flee the combat zone in the past few weeks are currently being housed in camps for displaced people. Many of these are children. Over the coming days, thousands more will be arriving in the camps.
 
These displaced people have been without adequate food, clothing and hygiene. They have been arriving in the camps injured and distressed by their experiences and by the separation from family members. Many children are undernourished and need immediate help.  

YMCAs in Sri Lanka have been quick to respond to the humanitarian situation and have been collecting materials from members of the public and distributing them at nearby camps.  
 
Y Care International’s partner has been responding to the situation by distributing milk and nutritional supplements to children under the age of three, as well as bed linen and towels for the injured. We sent funding at the beginning of May to enable our partner to support families living in the camps. So far, they have provided over 1,000 children with milk, which is enough to last for one month.  
 
Our partner will continue to provide food for displaced families and plans to provide psychosocial support to 4,000 displaced children and young people, through sports and recreational therapy.