Valerie Scherrer, CBM’s emergency coordinator, recently visited Sri Lanka to assess the current situation and support CBM partners in the country. As related in press reports, the North of the country is still facing intense difficulties.
Sri Lankan rebel forces have vowed to defend the zone they hold in the North of the territory, and are currently contained by the Sri Lankan Army in about 5 square kilometres of land with approximately 50,000 civilians. Meanwhile government-held areas immediately outside house an estimated 170,000 escaped civilians in displaced persons’ camps.
CBM is concerned for all civilians in the affected area, particularly those with existing or new disabilities as a result of the conflict. Since January, unofficial UN estimates suggest that a total of 12,000 of those injured have sought medical help. This population is subject to a high risk of new disability because of lack proper facilities and limited availability of essential services such as surgery and physiotherapy.
CBM supports three partner projects in the North/East of Sri Lanka: Karuna Nilayam Girls’ Home, ASHRAM for Human Self Reliance and Meditation, and Deaflink. Karuna Nilayam, a residential school for children with intellectual disabilities located in the rebel-held area, has relocated to outside the conflict zone.
The head of one CBM Partner project said: “In the hospital there are lot of injured and sick people and the hospital requested support for bed sheets and mattresses from us. Both Vavunya and Mannar hospitals are in urgent need of support with equipment and medicine. We sent four volunteers to work with the hospital and are planning to send more if funds become available.”
Another CBM Partner project reported: “The conditions in the camps are very difficult. They are surrounded by barbed wire and movements in and out are restricted. The displaced are very distressed as during the past 3 months they lived under threat of bombing. Many of them have lost some of their relatives or do not know what has happened to them. ”
The mass arrival of about 100,000 persons in the past 2 weeks has overwhelmed the existing support and facilities and therefore the situation in camps is deteriorating, leaving people in a very difficult situation.
Valerie Scherrer, CBM’s emergency coordinator, said: “The current conflict is clearly both causing disruption to and leaving a large number of people in an adverse situation, without resources and in need of support from the international community.”
It is important that CBM prioritise working with its partners and other organisations to develop a long-term strategy to address this population’s needs.”
Work is currently going on to support CBM Sri Lanka partners and ensure that the situation does not adversely affect persons with disabilities in the longer term and that their needs are taken care of.
