SOS emergency relief programme for orphans in Sri Lanka

The civil war in northern Sri Lanka in Spring 2009 left thousands of children orphaned or separated from their families. With the permission of the Sri Lankan government, SOS Children has started an emergency relief programme in one of the IDP (internally displaced peoples) camps.

The care that SOS Children will provide to orphaned and displaced children will be as follows:

1) Short term Care - Rebuilding the nest. Immediate support to the children through temporary shelters, which opened on 21 August 2009. We are currently caring for 161 children - 71 boys and 90 girls.
a. Trauma therapy by way of play and day care activities - Authorities have permitted that we engage volunteers from within the camp to act as teachers (camp has plenty of trained teachers)
b. Food & Nutrition - By way of midday meal as well as supplementary food
c. Health - Preventive care, ensure that all necessary immunizations are done, and curative care (this would be limited to whatever is available within the camp)
d. Education - To run special classes for children and youth by using the services of volunteer teachers
e. Identity - To establish the civil status of unaccompanied children & young people and reunite them with their families where possible.

2) Medium term care
a. Accommodate children in the existing SOS Children’s Village Nuwara Eliya. This is a Tamil-dominated area and would be good in terms of language as well as environment
b. To provide food, education and medical assistance
c. Children needing permanent care can be identified and accommodated within the SOS Children’s Village Nuwara Eliya and if necessary can rent a house in the town. This option would be explored only if the number of orphans cannot be accommodated within the existing facility.
d. As of now there is sufficient space within Nuwara Eliya and even some of the retired mothers have volunteered to offer assistance if and when children are brought home

3) Long term planning - Building Families
SOS Children has identified the need to establish projects, including new SOS Children's Villages, in the north of the country. This would however depend on various issues including the safety and security situation and the number of orphaned children in the country.

Now we are appealing for financial help and launching an Emergency Appeal. It goes without saying that there is a contrast between our approach and approach of asking for funds before having any means to help. Now we hope those concerned about the fate of lone children in the refugee camps will not hesitate to help us.

To donate to the Sri Lankan Emergency Appeal please donate here writing "Sri Lanka" on the instruction field or back of the cheque. We undertake that 100% of all funds received for this emergency appeal will be transferred and used to pay for this programme without any deductions.