Today Sewalanka Foundation is asking you to help us support the victims of the North Eastern floods.

UPDATE: Monsoon Floods in North-Eastern Sri Lanka

In December 2010 Sri Lanka experienced its heaviest rainfall in almost one hundred years. Throughout January and February 2011 the situation heightened as river banks and reservoirs burst, resulting in fatal flash flooding. At the peak of the floods over 1.2 million individuals were left without shelter and food and 62 people lost their lives. The current weather conditions have eased allowing emergency operations to gradually concentrate on the recovery.

Sewalanka Foundation were able to reach IDPs in all the affected areas because of its excellent networks and close coordination with the government, United Nations and other humanitarian organisations. In Batticoloa we distributed 18,000 cooked meals and 1,800 families received dry food supplies. Through our Emergency Appeals Fund, supported by individual donors around the world, we were able to supply several temporary shelters in Ampara and Trincomalee with clean drinking water, cooked meals and dry food supplies.

Although the relentless rains have stopped, widespread damage means continued support is needed to help re-build lives. Agricultural production is the main source of livelihood in the affected area and this season’s paddy cultivation has been badly damaged, leading to increased food insecurity.

Sewalanka Team prides itself on quick, effective responses -- responses that save lives and build the groundwork for long-term recovery.

Your donation -- in any amount -- can make a big difference.

• Rs. 1,000 provides a family with clean drinking water for a week
• Rs. 3,000 provides a family with a week’s supply of dry rations (rice, dhal, sugar, cooking oil, tin fish, coconut milk powder)
• Rs. 1,300 provides children under the age of five with milk for two weeks.
• Rs. 1,650 provides a family with a sanitary kit (two soap bars, one large toothpaste, five toothbrush, two sanitary napkin packets, ten shampoo sachets, two laundry soap bars, five towels, one large bucket) for two weeks.
• Rs. 2,500 provides a family with basic kitchen utensils (two saucepans, two cooking pots, two cooking spoons, five plates, five cups, knife, jug).

Donations are the most convenient and efficient way for you and for us to ensure we have the resources to respond to emergencies. Donations in kind are also welcome. You can drop them at our Head office in Boralesgamuwa or call Krishantha/Ashanti on; 2545362 - 5 and find out where the other collection points are around Colombo.

Many of you have supported our emergency responses in North, East and elsewhere —thank you for your kindness and generosity! By becoming a supporter, you'll provide resources to hard-hit communities when they need us most.

Speed, Efficiency, Commitment and Transparency are the hallmarks of Sewalanka’s disaster response.

Please join us in speeding relief to families and helping them recover what they've lost.

Emergency appeal to support people displaced by the fighting in northern Sri Lanka

Although the military battle in northern Sri Lanka has finished, many challenges remain. More than a quarter million people have been displaced from their communities by the fighting. Over the past several weeks, they have all flooded into temporary camps in the north.

People arrived in the camps exhausted and malnourished after months of being trapped in the conflict zone. "They left everything behind. Most came to Vavuniya with nothing more than the clothes on their backs," says Thamil Thanabalasundaram, Sewalanka Foundation's North Regional Director.

Sewalanka is on the ground working directly with the children, women and men affected by this crisis. As a local organization, Sewalanka has direct access to the camps in both Vavuniya and Jaffna, and we are coordinating closely with the government, United Nations and other humanitarian agencies to fill gaps in the emergency response.

Sewalanka is preparing meals for 30,000 people, establishing shelter, water and sanitation facilities, providing water, supplementary food, and necessary non-food aid and coordinating psychosocial support services. "Everyone is trying their best, but feeding such an overwhelming amount of people three times a day is a huge task," says Annet Royce, who is coordinating Sewalanka's emergency response in Vavuniya.

We do not have enough resources to meet the needs in the camps, and we need your support. Even the smallest donation goes a long way:

• US$150 covers the clean water needs (hygiene, cooking, cleaning, hydration) for a family of four for one week.
• US$50 provides clothing for a family of four to six people.
• US$25 provides supplementary protein and fresh vegetables for one person for an entire week.
• US$10 provides clean drinking water for one person for an entire week.

We appreciate the support you have shown for Sewalanka's work in the past and we are asking you to contribute again to provide emergency assistance to the people who have been displaced by the fighting in the north. Your funds will help us have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of displaced families. Thank you.

How can I donate?

Sewalanka Foundation has established a dedicated bank account for donations to the Sewalanka IDP Emergency Appeal Fund.There are two ways to donate.

• HSBC Bank Account
• Account Name: Sewalanka Foundation
• Account Number:005-01-4089-001
• Account Type: Current
• Swift Code: HSBC LKLX
• Bank Branch: HSBC Nugegoda
• Bank Branch Address: No.171 Nawala Road, Nugegoda



• Paypal


• We have received a number of HSBC deposits with no sender name or contact details. If you have deposited funds, please let us know how to contact you. Scan and send your bank voucher to appeal@sewalanka.org.
  

If you are in the US or UK, please contact us at info@sewalankausa.org for information on tax exemption. Financial and progress reports will be shared with all supporters.

How is the money spent?

Your money will be used to purchase supplementary food supplies to provide IDPs with nutritious meals, non-food relief items (e.g. clothing, buckets, basic hygiene supplies and other items necessary for daily life) and to support our efforts to transport clean water to the camps and run food programs.

Is my money going to be used correctly?

YES! Sewalanka has more than 15 years of experience delivering high-quality programs and relief activities in Sri Lanka. All money donated to the Sewalanka IDP Emergency Appeal Fund is kept in a dedicated account and monitored from our head office. All expenditures from this account will go towards supporting our emergency relief efforts in the north.

For more information on the emergency appeal to support families displaced by war in the north, please contact communications@sewalanka.org. For information on other initiatives, please contact headquarters@sewalanka.org.