As fighting continues in north and northeastern districts of Sri
Lanka leaving more than 200,000 people displaced, IOM has been
providing humanitarian assistance to thousands of those affected.

Non-food items including mosquito nets, personal hygiene items,
kitchen utensils, clothing, bed sheets, children’s toys and
footwear as well as some food items have been procured for
distribution while supplies already in IOM warehouses in the east
of the country have already been made available to support
internally displaced people (IDPs) and other stranded families.

In Batticaloa, the Organization is also providing temporary
shelters to several thousand displaced families and is providing
support to the government in managing an IDP site in Batticaloa
town.

In order to ensure good hygiene habits and prevent any outbreak
of disease, IOM, in coordination with other humanitarian
organizations, has organized a series of workshops at IDP
transitional settlements around Trincomalee town.

Assistance is also being given to those fleeing the violence in
Mannar and Annuradhapura districts while transport assistance is
being made available to other organizations such as WFP, UNICEF and
Save the Children to distribute food, hygiene kits and other
non-food items to 5,000 IDP families in areas of Batticaloa
districts which have been difficult to access. Similar transport
support is being provided to several non-governmental organizations
working in affected areas.

With urgent needs for shelter, water and sanitation and
transport, IOM is asking donors to fund its programmes in these
areas until the end of the year as well as other activities that
include registering IDPs, livelihood, health care and the
distribution of non-food items.

For further information, please contact:

Annie Scarborough

IOM Colombo

Tel: +94 777 020 399

E-mail: "mailto:annies@iomsrilanka.org">annies@iomsrilanka.org