For immediate release
24 April 2009

100,000 displaced people are struggling to survive in the northern tip of Sri Lanka

Save the Children estimates 100,000 displaced people are struggling to survive in the northern tip of Sri Lanka and children are the most vulnerable.

Prasant Naik, Country Director of Save the Children in Sri Lanka, said “There are more and more children and their families flooding into the government welfare camps in Vavuniya and Mannar once they’ve escaped the No-Fire Zone. These are huge crowds, many of whom are in need of immediate support.”

Many of the children affected in the crisis have known nothing but violence all their lives. Many have been displaced numerous times, and are weak from lack of food, water and medical assistance.

Prasant Naik continues: “These families have lost everything, including their crops and livestock. Children will be hugely traumatised by their experiences. Save the Children is already registering some children who have been separated from their parents and we’re helping to re-unite them with their families.

“Health is also a major concern. Children who have recently come out of the no fire zone appear to be suffering from malnutrition and, if food, clean water and medicine are not provided in time, their health will be deteriorating.”

Save the Children is working with the thousands of displaced people who are currently in government-run camps in Vavuniya and Mannar. It has a team of 30 staff operating from Save the Children offices in Mannar, Vavuniya and Jaffna in the north of Sri Lanka.

Save the Children’s current response:

• 1000s of families have received clothes, bedding, buckets, jerry cans, plates, other household equipment and hygiene kits
• 14,000 children and more than 1,000 pregnant or breast-feeding mothers have received supplementary food items
• 19 children’s safe play spaces have been set up for over 4,000 children
• Children that are separated from their families are being registered in the hope to reunite them with their families
• Early childhood care and development centres set up for more than 1,200 children, providing supplementary feeding for children between two and five years old. Save the Children is also making an incentive payment to the pre-school teachers
• 25 temporary learning centres set up for more than 4,000 children. 100s of education materials distributed

To donate to Save the Children’s emergency response, please visit www.savethechildren.org.nz call 0800 167 168

Note to the editor:
• We've worked in Sri Lanka for more than 30 years. We are focused on education, livelihoods, child protection and child rights. Much of our work in response to the tsunami has involved helping people rebuild their homes, helping communities and their livelihoods, as well as how to be prepared for any future emergency.

ENDS

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