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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka continues to recover from the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, which killed at least 35,000 people, and left an estimated 1 million people homeless. Rebuilding the country is made even more challenging by the fact that Sri Lanka had been embroiled in a bitter civil war that only ended in mid-2009. The war claimed more than 65,000 lives in its 25 years, and during the last phase about 300,000 people were displaced. This caused a humanitarian crisis in a country that was still recovering from the tsunami and previous periods of war.
As part of the long-term tsunami rehabilitation initiative in Sri Lanka, Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Diocese of Colombo and other organizations with specialized expertise, including the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), and Ecumenical Church Loan Fund (ECLOF). Episcopal Relief & Development also supports the diocese’s efforts to care for people affected by the war.
Responding to Disasters and Rebuilding Communities
- To restore the coastal belt destroyed by the tsunami, Episcopal Relief & Development's partner CEJ works with community groups to develop local nurseries and plant trees in efforts to rebuild and protect further coast line erosion.
- CEJ also facilitates local legal aid work workshops to provide representation to vulnerable victims such as widows and orphans, and help resolve land disputes and improve access to benefits.
- The Diocese of Colombo is partnering with the Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action to make a three-year plan for disaster preparedness and create a toolkit so that all churches in the diocese can learn from others’ successes and experiences.
- The Diocese of Colombo has established the Centre for Conflict Analysis and Reconciliation, which provides psychosocial care to victims of the country’s civil war, leads monthly workshops and offers mediation services to aid in reconciliation and community rehabilitation. Programs are mainly focused on serving women and young adults.
Creating Economic Opportunities and Strengthening Communities
- Through a partnership with ECLOF, more than 350 self-help groups have been formed in six tsunami-affected communities. By participating in these groups, people (and in particular, women) can access low-interest loans to start small businesses and receive training.
