In April, World Vision communicator Hasanthi Jayamaha traveled with an evaluation team into camps close to Sri Lanka’s eastern conflict zone. Here she shares some of her observations on life inside the camps, and the growing needs of the people sheltering there.

Camp life…
“Thousands and thousands of white canvas tents decorate Batticaloa. The eastern town seems to be expanding to accommodate more displaced people who are moving in looking for safety. And the needs grow at a disturbing rate.

“The camps are silent. I don’t know what makes everyone so quiet – whether it is the armed people that are seen here and there or what they’ve been through, but I know it is not a ‘happy silence’. People seem to just exist, not live.

“Some of the displaced are in the camps, others live with friends, relatives or host families. Children have found two things in common with the new friends they are making… they are all displaced; they are all scared of the sounds of shelling.

Vijitha (4) told me she prays every night that ‘wedi saddam’ shooting noises would stop. Vijayakala (9) wants to go further away where she won’t hear even the slightest sound of shelling."

Tents…
“The biggest issue in Batticaloa is the need for temporary shelters. Even the tents that are put up accommodate at least three families each. It is very hot in Batticaloa at the moment.  People can’t be in the tents for more than five minutes without sweating, so they take their mats out and live under the trees during the day.  When they eat they have to keep covering their food because otherwise it gets covered in dust.”

Child protection…
“The biggest issue in some of the camps is forcible recruitment of children by armed groups. The mothers told me that, especially when there is no lighting at night during the power cuts (Batticaloa experiences 3 – 6 hr power cuts everyday), that they stay up at night in order to make sure their children are not taken.” 

Schooling…
“Every child I spoke to had just one desire – going back to school. They don’t complain about not being able to return home or not having enough food but they would not give up their demand to start schooling once again. I found it quite in contrast to some of the children living in big cities who would do anything to skip school.

“Although war has continually disturbed their schooling, they are not frightened to dream of what they want to become when they grow up; and they know only education can take them there. Nishanthan (7) wants to be a doctor, Gajendini (10) wants to become a teacher - many wanted to be teachers. 

“In war-torn areas the teacher is the most respected person that they see.  Their teachers are their heroes because they don’t see so many other professionals. In schools when children feel threatened the teacher is the one to quieten their fears, who tells them when to go under their desks during the shelling and when it is safe to come out.  The teacher is their doctor because when they are psychologically affected it is the teacher who tells them not to be frightened.

“Initially, the displaced children were admitted into close-by schools so that they could continue their studies. Puwanalojini (6) happily walks 2 km to her ‘temporary’ school from her camp and would not stay ‘home’ for anything. But with growing tensions and more schools being occupied by new IDPs, the education has come to a standstill in the Eastern town. The IDP crisis has not only affected the education of displaced children, but also the education of children who study in Batticaloa.“

Food…
“There is not enough food for the IDPs. People say they might have just one meal a day in order to save food for the next few days. Some sell off the few things they brought with them, and some even sell their livestock at very low prices in order to buy food.” 

Clothing…
“Clothing is also a big problem. They don’t have extra clothes. Some only have what they were wearing when they left home.”

Sanitation…
“In some IDP camps sanitation is a big problem. In one camp there are 460 families living in 150 tents and they had just 15 toilets. NGOs are doing their best in putting up toilets but the number of IDPs inundating the area is too large to handle.”

More about the Sri Lanka crisis and World Vision's response