TRO Humanitarian Relief for Mannar IDPs

PRESS RELEASE
20 April  2007
TRO Humanitarian Relief for Mannar IDPs

Civilians have been displaced by heavy artillery shelling, aerial bombardments and attempted Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troop movements on the border areas of Madhu and Adampan in the Mannar district. The IDPs initially took refugee in the areas surrounding the Madhu Church. This area still fell within the range of the SLA artillery shells and the patrols of the SLA Deep Penetration Units (DPUs), which have both increased, causing numerous deaths and injuries to civilians. As a result, the internally displaced persons (IDPs) requested TRO's assistance to move to safer places such as Ilupakadavai and Vellankulam.

TRO responded to these events immediately and implemented its plans for Emergency Relief and Assistance for IDPs. The response consisted of the provision of transportation, cooked food, non food relief items (NFRI), temporary shelter construction and livelihood assistance.

TRO has undertaken this humanitarian relief despite several constraints – first among them of them is the freezing of TRO's bank accounts in Sri Lanka by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). In addition to TRO, some international NGOs, such as WorldVision and ZOA, are assisting the IDP population in Mannar by providing materials for the construction of 100 temporary shelters. Work has been completed for 80 shelters thus far. New temporary IDP settlements are being managed by TRO with the help of local NGOs such as IDRO, MWDO and NEDRO.

The work done thus far by TRO:

• Provision of transport of 2,655 families who had been housed around Madhu Church to safer areas of their choice.  
• These IDPs are taking shelter in temporary halls, schools, public buildings and with friends and relatives until temporary shelters are built for each family.  
• TRO has provided cooked food for them for 3 days – these costs must be reimbursed by the GoSL.  
• Temporary shelters are being built with materials such as timber, cadjan and iron frames.
• 731 IDP families in Thadshana Maruthamadu have been provided with temporary shelters with water and sanitation facilities. Their settlement has been managed by TRO along with local NGO IDRO.  
• TRO is providing assistance to 139 families who are living with friends and relatives at Illupakadawai.  
• Provision of water via bowsers to IDPs to supplement water facilities at the temporary settlements.
  

• TRO plans to provide 150 more shelters with water and sanitation facilities. This has to be done soon before the monsoon rains set in.  
• Wells have to be cleaned. In order to continue the water provision via bowsers, funds need to be allocated for kerosene for the water pumps and diesel for the tractors that pull the water bowsers.  
• Hundreds of temporary toilets need to be built for the temporary shelter sites in order to prevent any outbreak of waterborne infectious diseases. Alternative building materials will have to be used due to the GoSL's embargo on the transportation of cement.
• Supplementary and complementary food items will have to be provided to all IDP families in addition to the dry rations provided by the World Food Program (WFP).  
• Children, lactating mothers and pregnant women have to be provided with milk foods and special nutritional supplements.  
• Disabled, women headed and other vulnerable families have to be identified and provided with livelihood assistance based on their previous professions and current capacities.
• Children have to be provided with educational facilities, extra, "catch up", evening classes and learning materials.  Provision of transportation and financial assistance to IDPs for those in need of medical assistance.

TAMILS REHABILITATION ORGANISATION – MANNAR

IDP Relief Management Unit
TRO Head Office
Updated on 19th April, 2007
ENDS