World Vision UK requires aid in Sri Lanka as the 60,000 child survivors of the war face up to long-term emotional and mental issues. If assistance does not reach them soon, the survivors of Asia’s long-running battle will be scarred for life, especially the children.
World Vision’s Suresh Bartlett, who has just returned from the camps in Sri Lanka, said-
It seems that for now the world’s attention is not on meeting the needs of these children. There are almost 200,000 people, including 60,000 children, in these camps who have survived a brutal experience trapped in a conflict zone for weeks.
It is almost impossible to understand what these children have been through. Can you imagine what it must be like to see your friends, your brothers and sisters killed, to live in fear of the blasts and gunshots, to see your parents terrified and to go without meals and water for days on
end?Even before this latest turn of events many of these children have been displaced many times over the years. Some have never known what it is to have a proper home or to live in safety.
World Vision is providing 10,000 families with assistance, including water, food, and shelter, but more help is desperately needed. With the refugee camps at breaking point, the Sri Lankan Government is asking for assistance from the aid community. World Vision UK is appealing for donations to help survivors during this difficult time, and for the rehabilitation of the Sri Lankan children once they return to their homes and villages.
