OCHA Situation Report
Sri Lanka
4 - 10 March 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Overall Situation

On 6 March the foundation stone was laid to reconstruct the tsunami- 
affected fisheries harbour of Galle. The project is funded by the 
Japanese Government and the estimated cost is 559 million rupees.

The United Nations Country Team marked International Women's Day and 
issued a statement on 8 March on the theme "Women in Decision-Making: 
Meeting Challenges, Creating Change".

A two-day workshop facilitated by UNICEF and the Ministry of Health Care 
and Nutrition was held on 8-9 March in Colombo to develop a 
Communications Strategy for Avian Influenza.

Main challenges and response

OCHA Trincomalee has identified an urgent need for a relevant W3 
database (Who What Where) as some organisations had launched separate 
initiatives without relevant consultation. OCHA will share all 
information collected with all agencies who will have replied (same 
system as the agency location map). At the moment the forms are being 
modified and will be sent out in the next two weeks. The objective is to 
have a small booklet with all participants which will be made available 
at the GA's office as well. The exercise will also support the new 
initiative of UNHCR to pick-up on coordination of IDP programs.

OCHA Matara reports that out of 30 transitional shelter sites in Matara, 
11 camps do not have particular agencies assigned for the care and 
maintenance of shelters.

Coordination and common services

The OCHA Trincomalee Field office reports that Trincomalee remains calm 
but coordination is still an issue as many agencies do not participate 
in meetings.

Food security

WFP Food for Work programmes is expected to involve 70,000 participants 
in 2006 who will receive food for their families while rehabilitating 
communal / individual assets. Activities will include land reclamation, 
cleaning lagoons to revive fishery activities, environmental protection 
activities such as tree planting, construction of roads and 
rehabilitation of wells and canal systems. The number of Food for Work 
beneficiaries in January was 87,954.

Under the School Feeding component, a total of 330,000 school children 
will receive mid-day meals and fortified snacks. WFP will also 
reconstruct school kitchens, stores and sanitary facilities with funding 
from Greek and Italian Governments.The number of WFP's Food For 
Education beneficiaries in January was 93,472.

The planned number of participants for WFP's Food For Training in 2006 
is 20,000, with trainings including carpentry, metalwork, sewing, 
poultry farming and computer training.

In Batticaloa, the World Vision's School Feeding Program was launched, 
through which 8071 school children at 24 Schools in two Divisions for 20 
months will be supported. The goal of the project is to increase the 
school attendance and access to school health services for tsunami 
affected children. This project is initiated in partnership with WFP 
which also supports awareness raising workshops on food and nutrition.

Health

Nearly 500 beneficiaries will be screened in eye camps arranged by IOM 
with help from the Sri Lankan and Australian Red Cross in all 
tsunami-affected divisions in Matara on 10 -12 March.

OCHA Hambantota had a second discussion with director of health services 
in order to facilitate the district Disaster Management Centre with 
regard to the awareness program, which is being conducted for the 
general public. This program is incorporated with other awareness 
programs like bird flu, HIV/AIDS and epidemic diseases.  A special 
medical team comprising trained medical officers will help the Disaster 
Management Centre carry out this task.

Water and sanitation

In Trincomalee World Vision reported the distribution of 40 water pumps 
this week to a village in Kuchaveli. A Solid Waste Management programme 
is to be launched in Muthur by the French NGO, ACF in the coming weeks. 
Meanwhile the bidding process for a gas chlorination facility for the 
Kantalai water treatment plant in Kantalai has commenced. The water 
supply of Trincomalee town and adjoining areas in the district comes 
under the Kantalai water treatment plant.

Recently in Matara, the Sri Lankan Red Cross organized a hygiene 
promotion and education programme in Polhena and Arahena for two groups 
of 20 persons each. Meanwhile the Christian Children's Fund (CCF) 
organized a dental awareness programme for pre-school children at a 
Child Centered Space in Kamburugamuwa on 6 March.

IOM reported that they have completed 30 individual toilets in Matara 
the past week. An American Red Cross funded project constructed five 
toilets in Polhena and ten permanent toilets in Gurubebila (Weligama 
Division) are under construction.

Non-food items and shelter

In Matara, WFP reported that under their Food for Work (FFW) Programme, 
selected projects are completed and await the food ration certification 
to release the food items.

The Norwegian Refugee Council has identified 13 transitional shelter 
sites that have no agency for the care and maintenance of them. Need 
assessments have been conducted in all 13 sites and the Norwegian 
Refugee Council is hoping to prioritize and solve some of the pressing 
issues in these sites such as roof leaks, broken latrines, filled 
latrines, garbage removal and broken floors.

Education

Education International, which has its head quarters in Brussels has 
allocated 3.2 million rupees through the Sri Lanka Teachers Tsunami 
Rehabilitation Project, which will benefit nearly 1,655 tsunami-affected 
teachers in the northeast.

Vipra Foundation, a non-governmental organization in the south of Sri 
Lanka has donated a consignment of textbooks and other learning material 
to students affected by war and/or tsunami in the LTTE controlled area 
of Muthur east in Trincomalee district.

In Trincomalee World Vision inaugurated two projects, one at 
Ganeshapuram and the other at Kadatkaraichchenai in the LTTE controlled 
area in Muthur East providing learning facilities for students and 
psycho-social development for children. In Ganeshapuram village, an 
Education Centre for students from Grade 3 to Grade 13 to follow extra 
classes after school hours started activities. The objective is to 
provide education to rural students to compete in public examinations on 
par with urban students. Eighteen teachers have been appointed to 
conduct classes in the centre. At Kadatkaraichchenai, a Child Friendly 
Space project was inaugurated. The objective of the project is to 
provide psychosocial development training to about two hundred children. 
Three teachers are employed to provide training.

ZOA trained 40 teachers in Trincomalee in skills development. Such 
training is conducted every three months.

Children World International UK with IOM support held a variety 
entertainment show as part of traumatic counselling for tsunami-affected 
students in Trincomalee district, on 6 March. Around 500 students 
participated.

IOM recently organized a film festival under their psycho-social 
programme with the collaboration of the INGO, Good-Neighbors. 
Seventy-five persons from the Solis camp and 60 participants from the 
Weragampita camp, both in Matara district participated.

UNICEF together with Save the Children in Sri Lanka (SCiSL) is 
supporting the construction of six Social Care Centres in Galle 
district, in the areas of Ambalangoda, Hikadduwa, Habaraduwa, 
Balapitiya, Galle Four Gravets and Bentota. Land has been identified by 
the government. The idea of the social care centres is to be a one-stop 
shop for a number of welfare services (eg. counseling, emergency 
assistance, income generation, mental health, child protection etc.). 
UNOPS is to undertake the construction of these six centres. In addition 
to construction costs, UNICEF is to provide furniture and equipment to 
all Social Care Centres.

Livelihoods

The Ministry of Labour has initiated a training programme for labour 
officials who will take on the role of core trainers on child labour 
issues.  Once trained they will be involved in sensitizing 
multi-disciplinary groups working at grassroot level in tsunami-affected 
areas on child labour issues.  The ILO Teachers Kit is being adapted for 
use by the labour officers and is being translated into the local 
languages.

ILO's work with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) is 
ongoing. ILO trained around 150 social workers on psycho-social care and 
support and some of them have been deployed in six drop-in-centres 
located in Tangalle, Hikkaduwa, Payagala, Kirinda, Ambalantota and 
Weligamwehera. These centres have been supported primarily with World 
Bank funding and ILO has provided some culture-appropriate recreational 
material through the NCPA implemented project in addition to technical 
training provided to staff. A total of 1,106 tsunami-affected girls and 
boys use these centers.

Inter SOS, an Italian NGO, which was involved in the fishing industry in 
Muthur east is phasing out in Trincomalee. Their boatyard in 
Kadatkaraichchenai and its office building was handed over to the Muthur 
Fisheries Societies Federation on 4 March. Inter SOS constructed had 
constructed about 50 fibre glass boats for tsunami-affected fisher 
families in Muthur east. Inter SOS was also involved in a Water and 
Sanitation project, which was handed over to the French NGO Action 
Contre la Faim (ACF).

The Sri Lankan Red Cross (SLRC) started a five-day vocational training 
course for another two batches of participants consisting of 25 youth 
per batch at the Thalalle Vocational Training Centre. This group is 
being trained in floor tiling.

Protection

UNICEF sent to local media the "Principles and Guidelines for ethical 
reporting on Children and Young People" after two LTTE child soldiers' 
identities were revealed in the media.  UNICEF also reported that the 
total number of outstanding child recruitment cases since 2001 is 1, 
384.  In January the figure was 36 cases while in February it was 14.

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