Sri Lankans living in the north of the country continue to struggle for survival in cramped and unhygienic conditions within camps stretched to their limit. Every day the number of people increases, as do the chances of diseases; through the use of untreated water, overcrowded housing and poor sanitary conditions.
ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) in New Zealand is assisting by sending to Sri Lanka, Mr Mike Langford, Emergency Management Officer for the Taranaki Regional Council, who will be based in Colombo for one month, in an emergency response and support role.
Additionally ADRA NZ has allocated $62,500 to be used in the emergency response effort which will be used to provide water and sanitation facilities, medical and hygiene kits as well as essential non food items such as clothing, water containers, mosquito netting and baby care items.
While many NGOs are struggling to gain access to the camps, through the Seventh day Adventist network ADRA is able to assist with the relief assistance inside of one of the largest camps near Vavuniya, where the highest number of IDPs are living. With the co-operation of the Vavuniya Adventist school principal, ADRA will establish a working base at the school from where the job of distributing medical supplies and other essential items can take shape.
“The government is facing great challenges in providing assistance to the internally displaced population,” said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Mr Ron Redmond at a recent pres briefing, citing overcrowding and limited resources as two of the most urgent concerns.
“Efforts are being hampered by the sheer numbers of IDPs, the speed at which they have been arriving and the limited space available to accommodate them,” added Redmond.
Although some areas of the country celebrate the end of hostilities it will be a long time before any celebrations are seen around places like Vavunyia. In tents deigned to house five people we see three times that number trying to survive long enough for normality to return. Children seem to be the most vulnerable with constant threats of kidnapping for ransom from within the camps and interrogation as suspected child soldiers from without.
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