The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have launched an emergency appeal for 3.6 million Swiss francs (3.4 million US dollars or 2.5 million euros) to support as many as 25,000 internally displaced people following decades of conflict in the north of Sri Lanka.
Many of the communities and displaced people were also affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. The appeal is part of a broader 5.8 million Swiss francs (5.4 million US dollars or 4 million euros) effort to assist the reconstruction of communities and to help the displaced rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
The IFRC appeal will focus on families returning to north-eastern Sri Lanka. The money will be used to help them construct 200 houses and repair 950 damaged houses. In addition, health and care services will be supported. The funds will also help to restart livelihoods and to build community resilience over the next two years.
It has been observed that most of the houses where IDPs are to be resettled are damaged, with about 75 per cent of houses needing repair works and 25 per cent of permanent houses needing reconstruction. “We at the Red Cross highly value an owner driven housing construction concept which gives people the opportunity to rebuild their lives in the places they lived before,” said Jagath Abeysighe, the chairman of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, recognizing the need to provide urgent support for the returning people.
During the conflict in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Red Cross was at the forefront of humanitarian action, providing services to survivors and assisting vulnerable people in a coordinated operation led by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The activities were supported by the IFRC and Red Cross Red Crescent partners around the world.
“There is a long way to go. This is the time for all of us to get together and support people who have been battered by several decades of war and conflict,” says Dr. Mahesh Gunasekara, health coordinator for the IFRC in South Asia.
“Schools have started functioning, but it is sad to see kids sitting on the floor of classrooms without roofs; no chairs to sit on or tables to keep their books on and write. Most of the local houses are damaged or destroyed. People who have returned home have started to repair their houses, but in the meantime most people are living in sheds.”
As of March 2010, nearly 93,000 people remain in temporary camps in several parts of the North. It is estimated that another 185,000 people have made their way home. A combination of destroyed public infrastructure, the lack of adequate medical services, and limited livelihoods, shelter and access to basic services is making this situation very difficult.