Caitlin Carlson
Communications Officer
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Portland, OR – The global relief and development agency Mercy Corps is mounting a humanitarian response to the growing crisis in northern Sri Lanka, where more than 90,000 people have fled fighting between Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan army in the past week.
An estimated 190,000 Sri Lankans are living in camps located in government-controlled areas; at least another 50,000 remained trapped inside the conflict zone, according to the United Nations.
"Civilians are caught in the middle of this conflict. Tens of thousands of families have fled into severely overcrowded and under-resourced displacement camps,” explained Randy Martin, director of Mercy Corps' Global Emergency Operations team. “There are desperate needs for water, sanitation services, medicine and other basics."
In the area most densely settled with displaced families, Vavuniya, an average of 18 persons are crammed into tents designed for a family of five, according to the UN.
Mercy Corps, which has been working in Sri Lanka since 2005, has mobilized an emergency-response team, and is prepared to begin operations. The agency is meeting with government officials and representatives from other humanitarian agencies to determine how to best contribute to relief efforts.
Currently, Mercy Corps’ 90-person team works in the two Sri Lankan coastal areas hit hardest by the 2004 tsunami to support economic recovery and small-scale farmers, and mitigate the potential for future conflict. The agency also works in the Eastern Province, which has been heavily affected by the country's 26-year civil conflict. Mercy Corps helps rice farmers improve their yields, and brings together communities of different ethnicities and faiths to lay the groundwork for a peaceful Sri Lanka.
HOW TO HELP:
Mercy Corps
Sri Lanka Emergency Fund
Dept NR
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208
www.mercycorps.org
1-800-852-2100
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