Desperation in Sri Lanka

IDP tents with up to 40 people per tent.

Friends,

Perhaps you’ve seen it on the news, or maybe not: thousands killed and displaced as a result of the on-going fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

It is a scene of graphic violence and human suffering. Our Sri Lankan staff is working with partners on the ground to provide desperately needed food and water to the families who have been driven from their homes and into government camps.

The recent news of attacks on government camps (ironically called “safe zones”) makes the following report from our Sri Lankan staffer, K. (Nalee) Thampu, all the more timely.

Read Nalee’s words and let your hearts be moved to act on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka.

Words cannot accurately describe the suffering of the people of Sri Lanka. The technical term for these huddled masses, who now reside in crowded government camps, is internally displaced persons, or IDPs. What I saw going into the camps to deliver food were families whose lives have been severely interrupted—traumatized—by violence, terror, and separation.

A few days ago we visited an IDP camp in Vavuniya, a government controlled city about 10 miles from the front lines of violence. We went there to distribute 850 food packets with our local partners. People traveled for weeks to get to the camp and had little access to food along the way. In the camps the only food available is being supplied by the local organizations, like our partners, with the help of volunteers from surrounding villages.

When we arrived there were many men waiting for food. The men are the ones tasked with providing food for their families, so there they stood—hundreds of them—their eyes imploring us to hand out the parcels. I could not wait to get the food that we had into their hands so that they could share it with their wives and children. The distribution was a bit chaotic with so many hands outstretched in need of food. The one thing that haunts me about this day is that after all the food was distributed we met a little boy who had gotten lost in the throngs of people who showed up. He was separated from his family and he was hungry. He asked if we had just one more food package and it broke my heart to tell him that there was no more.

On that same trip, we had the occasion to speak with a social worker working with LWR’s local partner. She spends her time talking with IDPs and trying to provide some comfort to them.

Ms. Vijaya told us about a woman who became separated from her baby amidst the chaos. The woman and her family had fled their homes and were staying on the beach when, without warning, that beach came under attack. The woman and her husband rushed to gather up their children and what few belongings they could carry. Almost immediately the husband and wife were separated. When they met back up in the government safe zone both were horrified to find that their eight month-old baby had somehow been left behind, both parents assuming the other had him.

A lost child is any parent’s worst nightmare but in this situation—with so much violence and very little order—the loss is tragic. The woman is understandably inconsolable and cannot eat or drink. She just waits for news of her lost baby. Ms. Vijaya is trying to help her cope with her anxiety.

It is important for LWR’s supporters to know that their donations are helping the people of Sri Lanka. We are able to get into the camps and distribute food and other desperately needed items. The thing that strikes at my heart is that for every person we help there are many more who we have not yet reached. There are many more children like the boy who stood hungry with no one to care for him. There are many more families in need of food. There are many more parents who wait in desperation for news of their lost children.

I appeal to you, in the U.S. to be as generous as you can. Your gifts put food directly into the hands of hungry people. Your generosity provides life saving support.

I was able to take a few pictures while in the camp that I would like to share. I hope these pictures and stories will move the hearts of people in the U.S. to help their brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka.

Join the Sri Lanka crisis relief effort—and provide food and other life saving support—with your gift today.

community kitchen in the camp

community kitchen provides a warm meal for this young girl