Facts on Sri Lanka
-Population: 20 million
-Infant mortality; 20 per 1,000 live births
-Languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English
-People with access to safe water: 83%
-Children 3 months to 5 years underweight: 38%

Tsunami
The tsunami claimed over 35,000 lives in Sri Lanka, and left at least 500,000 people homeless. The devastation destroyed homes, schools, hospitals and sources of livelihood. Over half the country’s fishing fleet was wiped out and 23,000 acres of agricultural land was damaged. Many of those who survived were left with little means of earning a living.

Since the end of the emergency phase, Islamic Relief’s work in Sri Lanka has focused on two crucial areas; providing shelter for vulnerable families and supporting widows and orphans.

Islamic Relief in Sri Lanka
Islamic Relief arrived in Sri Lanka two days after the tsunami and immediately began its emergency operation, focusing on the badly affected Ampara district. Essential survival items such as food and hygiene kits were distributed and transitional shelters were built to house the homeless. Islamic Relief also began clearing debris and provided counseling for women who had recently been widowed.

Additional Projects in Sri Lanka
• Over 400 public and private toilet facilities have been built for those living in transitional shelters
• Approximately 50 tube wells have been installed to provide clean piped water to communities in Nintavur and Karaithivu
• Nintavur District Hospital, located near the seafront and heavily damaged by the tsunami, has been rehabilitated
• Communities living in temporary accommodations in coastal areas provided training on how to prepare for monsoon floods
• 3,500 families in Ampara and Galle received food packs to last them the month of Ramadan
• 1,400 Udhiyah/Qurbani distributions took place in 2005, and another 700 in 2006
• Internal wiring for electricity was installed in 1,000 shelters
• Computers and office equipment was provided to the Ministry of Health to coordinate better care for mental health patients

Future Plans
Islamic Relief’s priorities in Sri Lanka for 2006 include:
• Provision of additional permanent shelters
• Livelihood support for more people
• Disaster preparedness training for a wider community
• Micro-credit loans facility to help start up small businesses
• Community capacity building and an emphasis on self-reliance
• Sponsoring tsunami orphans so that all their basic needs are met.