A group of young former combatants recently received canoes,
outboard engines, water pumps and tool kits from IOM at a ceremony
in Batticaloa, on the east coast of Sri Lanka, 300 km from the
capital Colombo. The equipment, funded by the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID), was to help them start new
livelihoods as fishermen, farmers or the owners of small
businesses.

With the war over and the security situation now calm in the
northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, former members of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Tamil Makkal
Viduthalai Pulikel (TMVP) – the rebel factions who fought a
separatist war in Sri Lanka for almost three decades – are
trying to integrate back into civilian life.

But for most, it is a struggle to heal the psychological scars,
remove the label of being "former combatants", escape the
stereotypes and be accepted back into civil society.

The government of Sri Lanka is working with IOM and the
international community to rehabilitate them and pave the way for
their successful economic reintegration – an essential step
towards maintaining stability after years of conflict.

J^*, a 27-year-old beneficiary, remembers how he and
his friends, then straight out of school, were forced to use
weapons by the former rebels. "We were given guns and bullets and
told that they were for our protection. But none of us really
wanted to become soldiers or liked the war," he says. 

The war has taken a heavy toll on the people, houses and
infrastructure of his village of Valachchenai in the Eastern
Province and J, like many of his former comrades, now sees the
world rather differently.

IOM's Community Revitalization through Information Counselling
and Referral Services (CR-ICRS) project supports the government to
help J and others like him to return to civil society. The help
comes in the form of education, training, employment opportunities
and small business start-ups.

Some 400 former LTTE and TMVP members in the Eastern Province
have now received help in making the transition to civilian life
through IOM's CR-ICRS programme.

J and his friends were not involved in heavy fighting during the
war, but their military experience remains strongly imprinted in
their minds. "We fought for freedom, but none of us really had any
freedom. I always wanted to return to and live in my own
community," he says.

J has been driving a hired tractor ever since he returned to his
village, after three years with the rebels. But his income was not
enough to live on. "I dreamt of buying a three-wheeler to make more
money, I saved and borrowed what I could. But it wasn't enough," he
says. The CR-ICRS programme provided him with basic business
training and the additional amount of money he needed to buy the
three-wheeler.

"The community has now accepted us and nobody really labels us
as former combatants anymore. Now I'm thinking about new business
opportunities and maybe getting married," he says.

Many of the former combatants have limited education and few
skills other than fighting. But all of them are determined to
return to school, learn new skills and start new civilian
livelihoods. The CR-ICRS programme identifies their individual
needs through a comprehensive survey, including face-to-face
interviews. Based on the findings, it offers a wide range of
options to suit their preferred reintegration choice.

Starting again

"My husband will never take up arms again. He is now happy to
play the roles of husband and father," says N^*, a
20-year-old mother of three, fondly cuddling her four-month-old
daughter. N's husband volunteered to join the rebels after he lost
his home and family members in the war.

Four years later, he left the rebel faction to marry N, whom he
had courted during his "fighting" days. "His parents and I are
happy to have him back, as part of the family and as part of the
community he belongs to. That itself is enough reason to make us
smile," she says.

N's family now lives in a temporary shelter and her husband has
returned to full time fishing. "But our problems are far from over.
What he earns is not enough. During the off-season and whenever he
has some free time he also works as a labourer, doing all types of
odd jobs in the village," she says.

Her husband has received fishing gear through the CR-ICRS
programme to expand his livelihood. But they still need more
support – like a boat and outboard engine that can be used
for deep sea fishing – if they are to expand the business and
compete in the market.

N admits that his return to the village was challenging and that
he was initially pointed to as a "rebel." His movements were also
restricted. "But now there is none of that. He travels freely
around the island and currently as it is the off-season for fishing
in Batticaloa, he is fishing on the north western coastal belt,"
she smiles. 

Dreaming big

Like the majority of other former LTTE and TMVP members
receiving training and employment in the Eastern Province,
E^* hoped to expand his vegetable cultivation to meet
market demand throughout the year and ensure a steady income. But
the irregular water supply on his land was a major
challenge. 

Thanks to an irrigation system provided through the CR-ICRS
programme he now has enough produce not only to sell at the village
market, but also to supply for special occasions such as weddings
and religious festivals. He has started to cultivate an additional
two acres of land and now employs five full-time workers.

Just a year ago, E was still fighting with the rebels. But now
he is learning new skills alongside other former LTTE and TMVP
members and is committed to doubling his vegetable production.

E was a combatant for 18 years from the day he left school. But
he left the rebels to re-enter civilian life. He is happy to be
generating an income and is socially and economically active. He
still has his dreams, but says he has no desire to ever pick up a
gun again.

With the end of the 25-year conflict in Sri Lanka in 2009, more
and more former LTTE and TMVP members have decided to put violence
behind them to build new, productive lives for themselves, their
families and their communities. These are just three of their
stories.

^* Names changed.