Dan Sadowsky
Website, Content and Services Team Manager
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Photo: Dwayne Newton for Mercy Corps
You may have noticed Sri Lanka in the headlines recently. Its army appears within striking distance of ending a quarter-century rebellion by the Tamil Tigers, one of world's most fearsome insurgent groups.
The army's continuing advance in the country's far north has stoked fears of a growing humanitarian crisis. Aid agencies say as many as 250,000 civilians are trapped behind rebel lines.
Unfortunately, they are not the only Sri Lankans in need.
More than two decades of violence and political unrest has affected families all across the island. And those who live along the southern and eastern coasts are still rebuilding from the 2004 tsunami — the worst disaster ever to hit Sri Lanka's shores. It killed more than 35,000 residents, displaced half a million and caused $1 billion in damages.
Photo: Colin Spurway/Mercy Corps
Tomorrow I'm headed to Sri Lanka with freelance photographer Thatcher Cook. We'll visit two coastal regions heavily damaged by the tsunami — Hambantota in the south and Ampara in the east — to see how Mercy Corps is helping job-rich industries recover, fighting a food crisis that threatens the most vulnerable families, and bringing together communities of different ethnicities and faiths to lay the groundwork for a peaceful Sri Lanka.
Over the next two weeks, Thatcher and I will undoubtedly hear a lot about the military campaign in the north. But we'll surely hear stories of insecurity where we're going, too — physical, economic and food insecurity — and what Mercy Corps is doing to help. I look forward to sharing them with you.
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