World Concern cares for the displaced and homeless

In displacement camps set up in schools, factories and tents, thousands of traumatized Sri Lankans survive on meager rations and wait to return back home.

For some, it may be a month. For others it may be years.

World Concern has assisted more than 23,000 people who were affected, many of them civilians wounded during the violent end of the 26-year-long civil war in May 2009.

Initially, World Concern provided the basics: food, clothes, even toilets. Now, we're helping people who lost everything when they fled their homes to resettle in new homes and find work again. We're helping rebuild lives.

Donate to Sri Lanka relief efforts

Those living in displacement camps are of the Tamil ethnic minority. They were trapped in the conflict. Tens of thousands lost their lives. Sri Lankan soldiers searched the camps to try and identify members of the Tamil Tigers, the group with members widely considered to be terrorists, which fought for an independent homeland for the Tamil people.

We are working with the neediest of the needy, people who can’t do anything for themselves--people who have lost limbs. A lot of them are burned. All of them are traumatized.

The people of Sri Lanka need help to stabilize their lives after more than two decades of civil war. World Concern goes beyond disaster relief and provides the tools--shelter, livelihood assistance, education--that will help Sri Lankans start over.

Auto Dealer Visits Sri Lanka War Zone

His day job is helping run a successful auto dealership in Seattle, Washington - selling Jettas and everything else Nissan and Volkswagen has to offer.

Kurt Campbell has another passion, though: Sri Lanka. A few months ago, he didn't even know where the island nation was. Once her heard about the plight of civilians enduring a civil war, though, he had to take action.

First, he donated to help begin World Concern's disaster relief efforts and bring life-saving aid to families who have lost it all. Then he felt the call and had the opportunity to go to the front lines and see World Concern at work.

"The work is amazing. This is saving lives," Kurt says.

See the news release about what he did.

Read more on his blog.

Join him to support desperate families in Sri Lanka.

Other reports on Sri Lanka

• Migrant Tamils arrive in Canada by ship
• Sri Lanka Army perspective
• About the Tamil Tigers
• Blog entry about history of Sri Lanka war

Photos from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka background information

• The nearly 26-year-long civil war ended in May, 2009
• Thousands of civilians wounded or killed in shelling
• An estimated 70,000 people have died during the war
• Sri Lanka is a fertile tropical island country with vast potential
• The economy depends on tourism and exports of tea and manufactured clothing
• The tourism industry suffered badly from the tsunami and press coverage of the violence associated with the civil war.
• The Indian Ocean tsunami destroyed communities and infrastructure along ¾ of its coastline.
• More than 30,000 people died in the tsunami; remnants of hundreds of communities forced to relocate, away from jobs.
• The 2004 tsunami destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property - devastating the economy

Restoring Lives and Livelihoods

• Providing civilians injured in civil war with food, bedding, toiletries and clothing.
• Support to hospital staff includes food, beds and other services.
• Temporary income to war-displaced families
• Providing wells for drinking water and irrigation, improving health and increasing income
• Providing mental health care to those traumatized by the war and the tsunami
• Supporting churches and other local agencies to increase their ability to serve families chased from their homes
• Building permanent homes to replace those lost
• Supporting communities to form new livelihood strategies
• Helping other communities to double their income through better access to markets and equipment