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1. Causes.
Sri Lanka has suffered two decades of civil war and was severely affected by the 2004 tsunami. The population of Sri Lanka has (primarily) two components. The Sinhalese majority are predominantly Buddhist and make up about 74% of the population and control the national government. The Tamil minority are predominantly Hindu and make up 18% of the population.
The war between these two groups, lasting from 1983 to 2002, resulted in the deaths of over 60,000 people and the displacement of about 800,000 people. A shaky ceasefire was agreed to in 2002, but violence and disagreements between the national government and the Tamil rebels continue, with human rights violations committed by both sides. (Read [1] about the factors resulting in this conflict and [2] for an overview of recent history. Read [3] and [4] about recent issues threatening the ceasefire agreement. Read [5] about human rights violations during 2004.)
Sri Lanka was devastated by the December, 2004 tsunami, suffering more casualties than any country other than Indonesia. (See [6] for a slideshow of the tsunami aftermath in Sri Lanka.) In Sri Lanka over 31,000 people died, 21,000 were injured, and 5,000 remain missing. More than 500,000 were forced from thir homes. As of May 25, 2005, over 17,300 families are still living in 100 temprary camps. Hardest hit were the Tamil regions in the north-east, where 60% of the damage occurred.
Sri Lanka was given $3 billion of foreign aid. Amid huge controversy, the president of Sri Lanka pushed through an agreement to share 10% of the aid with the Tamil regions. (Read [7] and [8] about this agreement.) Even this unfairly small fraction of the aid, however, has not reached the north-east of Sri Lanka, as its Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the aid-sharing agreement. (Read [9] about this decision.)
While the south of Sri Lanka has received huge amounts of foreign aid, it has had little effect because of corruption and disorganization. (Read [10] and [11] about the Sri Lankan government's incompetence at responding to the disaster.) In terms of emergency response, the north-east faired better than the south, as NGOs like the controversial Tamils Rehabilitation Organization have experience providing food, shelter, water, medicine, and more to the civil war-torn north-east region. (Read [12] about the relief efforts in Sri Lanka.)
References:
[1] To Restore Peace to Sri Lanka's Fractured Polity, Peace in Sri Lanka: The Official Website of the Sri Lankan Governments's Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process.
[2] Country Profile: Sri Lanka, BBC News World Edition.
[3] Sri Lanka Leader Appeals for Calm, BBC News World Edition, 14 July, 2005.
[4] Donors Issue Sri Lanka Truce Plea, BBC News World Edition, 19 July, 2005.
[5] Sri Lanka Report 2005, Amnesty International.
[6] Photos Reveal Sri Lankan's Plight, BBC News World Edition, July 25, 2005.
[7] Sri Lanka Tsunami Aid Deal Signed, BBC News World Edition, 24 June, 2005.
[8] Anbarasan, Ethirajan. Sri Lanka Leader Gambles on Tsunami Aid, BBC World News UK Edition, 27 June, 2005.
[9] Sri Lanka Suspends Tsunami Deal, BBC News World Edition, 15 July, 2005.
[10] Sri Lanka's Slow Tsunami Response, BBC News World Edition, 25 June, 2005.
[11] Six Months On - An Editorial, www.recoverlanka.net: Post-Tsunami Relief, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Resources, 24 June, 2005.
[12] Hariharan, R. Tsunami: Politics of Relief in Sri Lanka, South Asia Advisory Group Paper No. 1226, January 5, 2005.
[13] Sri Lanka Appeal No. 01.60/2004 Annual Report, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, May 25, 2005.
[14] Tsunami Disaster United Nations Development Programme -- Sri Lanka.
2. Current Challenges.
Sri Lanka is just beginning to rebuild after the tsunami. While the Sri Lankan government received $3 billion in aid, reconstruction has been slow, due to corruption, bureaucracy, and political disagreements. In terms of rebuilding and recovery, the only progress made by the government is in building temporary houses (as of July, 2005). The quality of even these temporary houses has been criticed (read [2]).
47,000 Sri Lankan families are without land and permanent houses, as the Sri Lankan government has disallowed building of permanent houses within 100-200m of the coast. 275,000 people were left unemployed by the tsunami, and are now subsisting on donations. Of these, 40% are still in urgent need of livelihood recovery assistance (read [3] for more details). 550,000 people no longer have the use of a proper clean water supply and 22,600 houses lost access to electricity. 72 hospitals, 363 other health facilities, 182 (109 of which must be relocated) schools, 1,615 km of roadway, and 25 bridges and causeways were damaged. All these facilities still need to be rebuilt.
The ceasefire in Sri Lanka between the government and the Tamil rebels continues to hold, although there have been violations by both sides. The most alarming violation is that the rebels recruit children for their army, sometimes by kidnapping them or assaulting their families. The government has been accused of torturing Tamils in police custody.
The ceasefire is currently under severe strain. Under the ceasefire, Tamil rebels can enter government-controlled areas if they are unarmed. The rebels demand increased security, after a bomb narrowly missed a bus carrying their representatives. They are threatening to bring armed escorts into the area, which would probably destroy the ceasefire.
References:
[1] Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation: Sri Lanka's official website for tsunami reconstruction.
[2] Sri Lanka's Slow Tsunami Response, BBC News World Edition, 25 June, 2005.
[3] Sri Lanka: 40% of Tsunami-Victims who Have Lost their Jobs Still Need Means of Livelihood - 6 Months After, International Labour Organization, 24 June 2005.
[4] Illangasekare, T., Harvey, C., and Obeysekera, J. Fact Finding Mission to Tsunami Affected Areas to Assess Impacts on Groundwater Resources, February, 2005.
[5] Humanitarian Situation Report - Sri Lanka: 8-14 July 2005, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 14 July, 2005.
[6] Southern Province Situation Report July 2005, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, 31 July, 2005.
[7] Eastern Province Situation Report July 2005, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, 31 July, 2005.
[8] Journée Mondiale de l'Eau: l'eau consommé au Sri Lanka ... analysée et comparée à l'eau de la Seine, International Network of Action Against Hunger, 23 March, 2005.
[9] Sri Lanka Report 2005, Amnesty International.
[10] Attacks Threaten Sri Lankan Truce, CNN.com, July 14, 2005.
3. Actions We Can Take.
A. Learn More.
The following online sources contain information about how we can help Sri Lankans in need.
HelpSL.org contains links to organizations working in or for Sri Lanka that have made requests for aid. "HelpSL.org was set up by a group of concerned Sri Lankan expatriates to facilitate donations and information related to the tsunami that affected Sri Lanka on Dec 26, 2004. HelpSL.org is not a registered charity nor is it authorized to collect funds on behalf of the relief efforts. It is only intended as an online channel to help facilitate information and provide links to organizations that are collecting funds for victims of the disaster."
AidSriLanka.com "is a website created by a group of Sri Lankans from the web design agency Vesess, with the help of many friends, to inform the world how to help their brothers and sisters in distress. We do not collect or handle funds. We are just providing you with accurate and reliable information on how to help our fellow Sri Lankans."
B. Donate to NGO's in Sri Lanka.
Here, we describe a number of NGOs working exclusively in Sri Lanka.
Sewalanka Foundation's mission "is to enhance the capacity of rural communities to democratically identify and address their own development needs and to provide services that contribute to the economically viable, socially just and ecologically sustainable development of Sri Lanka." They have been working in Sri Lanka, including the north-east, since 1993. Sewalanka has "developed a strategy that takes communities from the relief aid of a conflict situation to a long term program of sustainable development, [they] have created a decentralised organisational structure covering the majority of the most disadvantaged areas of the country and [they] have built up a team of professionals men and women, Sinhala and Tamil, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Christian responsible for everything from the conceptualisation of projects to village level implementation." On January 27, 2005, Sewalanka launched an appeal fund "to meet emergency relief needs identified by [their] district directors in nine tsunami affected districts. As the flow of international and bilateral aid increased in the days that followed, covering most emergency relief needs, [they] developed the idea of using the Appeal Fund to finance 'appeal-projects', which individuals and our Support Groups could adopt as their own. The Appeals Project, which include short-term emergency relief, intervention and reconstruction projects, initiative has been greeted positively by many people, who have welcomed the opportunity to see directly where their funds are going. The 'visibility' created by the 'appeal-project' concept is in turn creating new opportunities for people to raise more funds."
Tamils Rehabilitation Organization aims are to bring "much needed relief and long-term rehabilitation [to] the displaced Tamil people from the North and East of Sri Lanka" "by facilitating the provision of food, clothing and shelter" and to "provide help via self development programs amongst the people of North-eastern Sri Lanka." TRO's key programs include caring for destitute children, nutritional rehabilitation (TRO reports that over 50% of Tamil children under the age of 5 suffer from acute malnutration), and emergency relief programs. Sri Lanka has suffered decades of internal violence, in addition to the 2004 tsunami. TRO has branch offices in Sri Lanka, despite three attacks on its Batticaloa office because of TRO's "impartial humanitarian services rendered to all the communities in the region." Note: their have been accusations that the TRO is a front for the Tamil Tigers. See Tsunami: Politics of Relief in Sri Lanka for more details.
Rebuild Periliya Society's aim "is to directly help the people of Peraliya in the long-term rebuilding project of their village. Projects include a medical centre, school, construction, rehabilitation programmes, trauma relief and the setting up of school trust funds for the village children. " "The village of Peraliya is located ... in Sri Lanka - a three hour drive from the capital Colombo. It was almost totally destroyed by the Tsunami wave at 9.26 am on December 26th, 2004."
Sri Lanka Relief Fund's mission "is to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Sri Lanka affected by the tsunami of 2004 through: (1) Direct aid to the affected individuals in the form of essential supplies. (2) Developing programs to provide short and long term shelter and housing. (3) Facilitating access to health care. (4) Educational and other support for children. (5) Aiding families in becoming self-reliant. The Sri Lanka Relief Fund is a non-governmental, non-political, not-for-profit philanthropic organization formed in the year 2004." "In December, [SLRF's] physicians, along with local Sri Lankan physicians and family members of the late former Sri Lanka President J.R. Jayawardhene, treated over 400 patients at two shelters. Unfortunately, they did not have basic equipment and routine medications to do an adequate job. The Fund also then organized donation trips in January to the affected southern coastline city of Galle, to deliver essential supplies such as footwear, soap, water, and sleeping mats. During the months of February and March, Nihal Senarath, one of [SLRF's] tsunami relief coordination directors, traveled to Sri Lanka with Joseph Schollmeyer and his group from Architects Without Borders in Portland, Oregon to assist in the new phase of rebuilding. The group drafted plans to build a schoolhouse in Hambantota, and the school is now nearing completion. In addition, the SLRF has future building plans including another schoolhouse and a 'free healthcare' center, to be built nearer populated areas such as Colombo ... The Sri Lanka Relief Fund was founded to ensure all continuing and future donations will directly benefit those in need, with all members volunteers and less than 1% of donations needed for administrative use. Donations will be used to fund both relief aid and the equally important rebuilding phase."
AdoptSriLanka "is a group of individuals and businessmen whose objective is to assist rebuilding and rehabilitating local communities on the coastline of Sri Lanka to get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible. Beyond providing immediate relief, our key focuses are issues and projects at the micro level, supplementing the work of charities and NGO's whose focus tends to be at the macro level. AdoptSriLanka sprung into action on the 27th December 2004 when [they] saw that little was being done in [their] neighbourhood. Since then [they] have formed a coalition with similar organizations up and down the south coast for the purpose of swapping information, experiences and solutions as to how to solve problems that are arising on a daily basis. In the initial days following the Tsunami [they] were primarily involved in evacuation, relief and humanitarian work. Whilst initially [they] worked in tandem with other like minded organisations [they] are now concentrating on specific projects in specific areas. AdoptSriLanka is principally operating in the Weligama and Tangalle areas. Now that the initial humanitarian issues have been addressed, AdoptSriLanka's key focus is the establishment of longer-term initiatives to encourage and support locals to become self-sufficient and assist in the reconstruction of Sri Lanka. [Their] commitment is to re-build with respect to the local culture and customs while providing better opportunities for the communities. We have developed 6 key initiatives for the long-term: 1) Adopt a School . 2) Project Fish and Ships which assists rebuild the devastated fishing industry. 3) Bounce back Sri Lanka initiative aimed at revitalising the tourism industry. 4) Work for Widows focusing on restoring the income of small businesses. 5) Adopt a Home providing housing for over 100 families. 6) Swim Lanka - a new project to teach people to swim and to help them overcome their fear of water. AdoptSriLanka has the advantage that over 95% of funds donated get to those in need. ... [Their] aid is on the ground and getting through to the victims already, a concept quite different to the larger charities and NGOs and a point donors are interested in as they want to know where their money is going. All [their] donations are fully accounted for and audited."
Karuna Trust "is a voluntary organization dedicated for improving the living standards of materially poor people in Sri Lanka. ... Being still a developing country, Sri Lanka has a large majority of its population living under unsatisfactory economic conditions. Most of the rural population in Sri Lanka is extremely poor and the vast majority still lacks of proper housing, medical care, education, and employment prospects. Karuna Trust fund[s] projects that eradicate the poverty of the Sri Lankan population." Since the tsunami, "funds have been so far used to send loads of essential food items, drinking water, clothing and basic medication to the remote areas in need. Also Karuna Trust has started several long term projects to benefit Tsunami affected people. [They] have taken steps to repair a school and to provide desks and chairs to a school in Kahawa, which has been damaged by the Tsunami. [They] have already granted financial aid to over hundred foster children, improved an orphanage as well as initiated our housing program." Currently, they are working on a "Foster Parent" for children whose source of income has been lost. They will help monitor, provide financial aid, clothing, and books to these children. In addition, they will work to help them find employment or training. Karuna Trust is also working on school and housing reconstruction and improvement and giving five student scholarships.
Sri Lanka Tsunami Recovery's "primary goal is to make a meaningful contribution to the long-term recovery of Sri Lanka through projects such as building new homes for displaced families, supporting children that were orphaned by helping to build orphanages, and providing continued support for the orphans. We hope to work with several smaller Non-Govermental Organizations (NGO) to ensure that your contributions go directly to those who need them the most with virtually no overhead. There will be no paid staff either in the US or in Sri Lanka; all work will be through a network of compassionate volunteers. Please note that weœôòùre not affiliated with any government agencies, nor will any of the contributed funds go to these agencies." "The goal of Sri Lanka Tsunami Recovery (SLTR) is to build as many houses as we can with an initial goal of building an entire settlement of 50 houses in the Matara district, in southern Sri Lanka, on land allocated by the Sri Lankan government. These houses will cost approximately $2,250 and will be constructed at least 100 meters from the coastal belt as stipulated by the government." "[They] have partnered with Karuna Trust--a nonprofit based in Sri Lanka--to provide an education oriented foster parent program for children who have lost one or both parents to the tsunami."
Sarvodaya "is Sri Lanka's largest and most broadly embedded people's organization, with a network covering 15,000 villages, 34 district offices, over 100,000 youth, and the country's largest micro-credit organization with a cumulative loan portfolio of over one billion Sri Lankan Rupees." Sarvodaya is working on projects supporting education, orphans, early child development, water sanitation and waste management, health and peventive care, psycho-spiritual healing and reconciliation, housing and resettlement, communication, livelihood support, trade, and microcredit. Sarvodaya is a buddhist organization, but assure donors that "every effort is made to serve Sri Lankans of all religions."
SriLankaHelp.com "was created to help Sri Lanka recover from the devastating Tsunamis that hit this beautiful country on December 26, 2004, causing unprecedented devastation among both human lives and property. As a result of the generosity of people all over the world, aid poured in during the immediate aftermath of this tragedy. However the ongoing reconstruction projects are still a long way from completion and requires your continued support and generosity." Their current projects are the "Pack a Backpack Campaign" in which American students send backpacks packed with school supplies to Sri Lankan students, and the "Sponsor a Family" project. Their website also contains urgent requests from the Director of Medical Supplies at the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. In addition, their site contains fund-raising links.
Rebuilding Tsunami Affected Libraries.
C. Donate to Organizations Working for Tsunami Relief.
For a list of organizations working in Sri Lanka, see ReliefWeb's list of Non-Governmental Organizations and UN & International Organizations here.
See the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies' overview map of damage and agencies responding to the tsunami, and details by region:
click here for details
4. Links.
For more information on the situation in Sri Lanka, check out these online sources:
[1] ReliefWeb Sri Lanka Homepage. "ReliefWeb is the world's leading on-line gateway to information (documents and maps) on humanitarian emergencies and disasters. An independent vehicle of information, designed specifically to assist the international humanitarian community in effective delivery of emergency assistance, it provides timely, reliable and relevant information as events unfold, while emphasizing the coverage of 'forgotten emergencies' at the same time."
[2] HelpSL.org. This page contains links to organizations working in or for Sri Lanka that have made requests for aid. "HelpSL.org was set up by a group of concerned Sri Lankan expatriates to facilitate donations and information related to the tsunami that affected Sri Lanka on Dec 26, 2004. HelpSL.org is not a registered charity nor is it authorized to collect funds on behalf of the relief efforts. It is only intended as an online channel to help facilitate information and provide links to organizations that are collecting funds for victims of the disaster."
[3] AidSriLanka.com "is a website created by a group of Sri Lankans from the web design agency Vesess, with the help of many friends, to inform the world how to help their brothers and sisters in distress. We do not collect or handle funds. We are just providing you with accurate and reliable information on how to help our fellow Sri Lankans."
[4] Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation: Sri Lanka's official website for tsunami reconstruction. This page contains information about the Sri Lankan government's plans on and progress in rebuilding after the tsunami.
[5] Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies. The CHA was "established in April 1997 to serve a membership and have since become a national service provider in the non-profit sector. We are representative of the resources and work of the humanitarian sector in Sri Lanka . Our membership supports and intervenes in the sector across all parts of the country."
[6] Southern Province Situation Report July 2005, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, 31 July, 2005.
[7] Eastern Province Situation Report July 2005, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, 31 July, 2005.
[8] Sri Lanka's Slow Tsunami Response, BBC News World Edition, 25 June, 2005.
[9] Six Months On - An Editorial, www.recoverlanka.net: Post-Tsunami Relief, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Resources, 24 June, 2005.
[10] Hariharan, R. Tsunami: Politics of Relief in Sri Lanka, South Asia Advisory Group Paper No. 1226, January 5, 2005.
[11] To Restore Peace to Sri Lanka's Fractured Polity, Peace in Sri Lanka: The Official Website of the Sri Lankan Governments's Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process.
[12] UN Refugee Agency's Sri Lanka Homepage. This page contains news and information about Sri Lanka, the status of refugees in Sri Lanka, and UNHCR's work in Sri Lanka. 97% of the UNHCR's budget comes from "voluntary contributions from governments and generous people like you."
[13] Amnesty International's Sri Lanka Report 2005. This article describes the human rights abuses by both sides during 2004.
[14] World-Newspapers.com, Sri Lanka. This page contains a list of Sri Lanka and Tamil newspapers and news sites in English.
[15] Derechos Human Rights. This site contains information about human rights violations in Sri Lanka committed by both the LTTE and government forces. "The reports here bring some light into the situation of Sri Lanka, we caution you, however, to read the materials with a critical eye and be on the look for potential bias."
[16] TamilNet "is a news and feature service that focuses on providing reliable and accurate information on issues concerning the Tamil people. As we are an electronic media organization, our services include online publishing via the world wide web and an electronic mailing list. Through our experienced correspondents, we will strive to provide comprehensive and timely information of developments within the war-torn north eastern parts of Sri Lanka."
[17] Tamil Eelam Homepage. Tamil Eelam is what separatist Tamil Sri Lankans call their "nation."
[18] Sinhaya.com. This site contains information about the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, from the Sinalese-majority point of view.
[19] International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Sri Lanka.
[20] US Aid Sri Lanka Homepage. This page contains information about the US's assessment of the situation in Sri Lanka, and US programs in and plans for Sri Lanka.
[21] US Aid Strategic Plan for Sri Lanka 2001-2005.
[22] US Aid Tsunami Reconstruction.
[23] Humanitarian Situation Report - Sri Lanka: 8-14 July 2005, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 14 July, 2005.
[24] United Nations Development Programme in Sri Lanka. "The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. ... Through advocacy, policy support and on-the-ground projects in Sri Lanka, UNDP activities are based on the needs, aspirations, rights and involvement of Sri Lankans themselves. The foundation is to enhance key governance institutions, increase economic opportunities for the poor, and ensure sustainable recovery in conflict-affected areas. UNDP is working with the people and Government of Sri Lanka to help begin a new chapter of peace and development for the country. Our assistance is focused around five areas: Peace and Transitional Recovery, Democratic Governance and Human Rights, Povery Reduction, Energy, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, and HIV/AIDS."
[25] World Health Organization's Sri Lanka Homepage. "The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health. ... WHO's objective ... is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. " The WHO's Sri Lanka homepage contains health statistics and news about Sri Lanka.
[26] Food and Agriculture Organisation's Sri Lanka Homepage. This page contains general information and news about Sri Lanka, as well as information about the development, economic, agriculture, forestry, and fishery situations.
[27] World Food Programme Sri Lanka Homepage. This page contains information and news about Sri Lanka and the WFP's work in Sri Lanka.
[28] International Labour Organization's Sri Lanka Homepage. This page contains information about the ILO's projects in Sri Lanka.
[29] UNICEF's Sri Lanka Homepage. See brief description about UNICEF in general. The UNICEF Sri Lanka homepage has information and news about Sri Lanka and UNICEF's work in Sri Lanka.
[30] CIA World Factbook, Sri Lanka.
[31] Oxfam America's Sri Lanka Homepage.
[32] Oxfam Australia's Sri Lanka Homepage.
[33] Oxfam GB's Sri Lanka Homepage.
[34] Encyclopedia: Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka, NationMaster.com.
Last Updated August 4, 2005.
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