haiti disaster response

After the Sri Lanka civil war

Auto Dealer Visits Sri Lanka War Zone

Supporter Kurt Campbell in Sri LankaHis 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.


World Concern cares for the displaced and injured

Help Sri LankaIn 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.

“Just because the war is over doesn’t mean that the needs are over,” said Merry Fitzpatrick, humanitarian organization World Concern’s director of disaster response.

World Concern has assisted more than 23,000 people who have been affected, many of them civilians wounded during the 26-year-long civil war, which ended last month.

For about 8,000 displaced people living in four camps, World Concern is providing the basics, depending on the need. It usually includes food, clothes, even toilets.

Donate to Sri Lanka relief efforts

Those living in displacement camps are of the Tamil ethnic minority. Sri Lankan soldiers are watching people in 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.

Outside of displacement camps, World Concern has worked with medical professionals to supply hospitals with the basics supplies to serve more than 1,000 people. Aid may include bed sheets, toiletries, hospital supplies, food and water.

“We are working with the neediest of the needy, people who can’t do anything for themselves,” said Fitzpatrick. “People who have lost limbs, have internal injuries, maybe they have lost blood, have infections. A lot of them are burned.”

These hospitals include established facilities, as well as makeshift emergency clinics. In a garment factory, World Concern has assisted nearly 200 injured and nearly 600 other displaced people.

“We need more money,” she says. “Families need better food, better living conditions – like showers – even clothes and places to eat.”

Press release with US and Sri Lanka contact information


Other reports on Sri Lanka


Photos from Sri Lanka

sri lanka refugees


You can help a family in Sri Lanka

Video: Sri Lanka war response

Interactive map of Sri Lanka

sri lanka map

Facts about 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

Our current & past work in Sri Lanka

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 in tsunami
  • Supporting communities to form new livelihood strategies
  • Helping other communities to double their income through better access to markets and equipment

$50 - Year of School

A great value. Send a poor child to school for one year and give them a chance to succeed in life. Includes books and supplies.

Financial accountability

World Concern's parent organization earned a 4 star rating. 94% of donations (cash + gifts-in-kind) go to programs.

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