Caritas is urging all sides in Sri Lanka’s civil war to end their hostilities immediately to prevent further loss of lives to children and other innocent civilians.
The 25-year old conflict has reached a peak in the last year with between 70,000 and 250,000 people displaced in last remaining pocket of fighting in Vanni.
Caritas is working through its national partner Caritas Sri Lanka to provide urgently needed humanitarian aid.
Background on Sri Lanka’s conflict
An unimaginable situation
Tens of thousands of innocent people are trapped in the war zone.
- Continuous shelling
- No proper medical facilities for the wounded
- Forced recruitment of children to fight
- Little food or clean water
Caritas has launched an urgent appeal to help victims of the war with food, medical treatment, education, and counseling. Caritas will support 100,000 war victims, those made homeless by the fighting, returnees and war affected families, especially women and children.
Caritas will provide
- Basic medicines for 1200 patients
- Cooked meals for 10,000 people and dried rations for 6500 families
- Provision of drinkable water
- Counselling
- Construction of 800 shelters and 3 communal shelters
- School materials such as uniforms and books for 1500 students
- Restarting livelihoods for 1225 families
End the suffering
Caritas is calling for both sides to stop fighting and seek an end to the conflict through peace talks. National church leaders in Sri Lanka have offered to mediate in bringing about an end to the fighting.
Caritas is working internationally for the UN to press for peace.