SOS Children Sri Lanka ready to care for refugee children

The thousands of refugees now fleeing their homes in north east Sri Lanka include many children who have lost one or both parents or have become separated from their families. SOS Children is currently holding talks with the Sri Lankan authorities to see how these children can be helped, and temporary shelter has been identified as a priority requirement.

It is impossible to keep track of developments in the area of the fighting, where the situation is constantly changing. It is also impossible for the teams of the various UN agencies and NGOs to enter the area to provide direct help. Among other things, it is government policy to ensure that the NGOs' workers are not caught up in fighting as the many other civilians have been. In the meantime the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) and the armed forces, who are responsible for bringing aid to the refugees, have contacted SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka with a request for humanitarian aid. The talks are now centred on how and where provisional shelter can be provided. The options include the temporary admission of refugee children to the SOS Children's Village facilities in Nuwara-Eliya and Batticaloa or the construction of suitable accommodation in other safe locations.

At the present time there are no reliable statistics on the number of children among the refugees fleeing the fighting in the north east of the country. The figure quoted last week was 3,500 to 4,000 children, including many who have lost one or both parents or have become separated from their families. That figure was released by various news agencies but the number may have dropped or increased still further in the meantime.

All SOS Children's Village facilities and programmes in Sri Lanka are situated at a safe distance from the conflict zone, which now comprises a relatively small area