World Vision is gearing up for the launch of its rehabilitation programme to support the families in the return and resettlement process in Sri Lanka’s war-torn north. Authorities recently granted World Vision access to all districts of the north where returns are taking place.

“This is very encouraging news and enables us to move into the return areas and assist children and their families to rebuild their lives,” said Suresh Bartlett, National Director of World Vision Lanka.

The organisation received access to all the districts in the North encompassing Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya.

The return of over 160,000 displaced civilians to northern Sri Lanka during the last few months has heightened the need for more support towards the return and resettlement programme in these districts.

When the war ended in May 2009, some 280,000 were displaced owing to the conflict and were housed in displacement camps in northern Sri Lanka posing a huge challenge for the Government and aid agencies to support them.

At the end of December 2009, nearly 165,000 had been resettled in their districts of origin and were in urgent need of support as they began to rebuild their lives.

In addition to claiming the lives of thousands of people in the north, the war also hampered the growth of the whole region and the key sectors of health, education, water and sanitation and economic development were adversely affected.

Upon return, communities have to readjust to a new environment or to a familiar environment transformed by war and conflict which could be a stressful time for communities eager to rebuild their lives towards a level of normalcy once again. World Vision has been supporting the camps since March 2009 but is also keen to extend its programmes to the areas of return where its vast experience in relief and rehabilitation work could add much value to the Government’s return and resettlement programme.

World Vision’s Area Rehabilitation Programme (ARP) is specifically designed for communities that have been adversely affected by conflict and disaster. The ARP model focuses mainly on rebuilding livelihoods, water resources, health and education.

World Vision continues to support the remaining displaced in the camps. In the last nine months, World Vision has trucked more than 12 million litres of water to the camps, distributed over 120,000 packets of cooked food and 105 metric tonnes of complementary food to the communal kitchens in the camps.