Sri Lanka
With your help, UNICEF has sought to have an impact in Sri Lanka, in response to the tsunami, which will endure far beyond the immediate emergency relief.
In order to assist the children in Sri Lanka to regain a sense of normal life, UNICEF has helped get some 95 per cent of the children back into education. We sent emergency education supplies to reach 128,825 students. Desks, chairs, school bags and material for school uniforms were also sent so children could experience a familiar educational setting. One hundred and four schools were repaired and over 110 semi-permanent schools have been built to house children, while 26 permanent schools are being built or repaired.
As a trusted partner of the government in Sri Lanka, UNICEF has also been in a position to provide guidelines for a ‘child friendly’ recovery process. This has included the criteria for building new schools, recommendations for foster care for orphaned children and standards for safe wells and water systems. We have also helped put in place the building blocks of a national psychosocial care programme for traumatised children.
As regards protecting the health of children, UNICEF is working in the worst affected districts to reconstruct and improve health care systems, including the rebuilding and rehabilitation of 36 health centres and hospitals. We are also redesigning and rebuilding the national cold chain, which keeps vaccines refrigerated and fresh from the moment they arrive in the country until they reach even the most remote locations.
Many water sources were destroyed or contaminated by the tsunami. UNICEF has provided safe water daily in nearly 220 camps and settlements and supported the construction of almost 2,000 latrines. UNICEF is also working to minimise the impact of monsoon flooding which occurs in some areas such as Ampara, every year, and where the population usually moves into public buildings, such as schools and mosques. UNICEF is working with other agencies to ensure that the response to the monsoon will be well-coordinated and that sanitation issues are adequately addressed.
