IOM is providing shelter, water and sanitation facilities, and
logistical support to thousands of families fleeing hostilities
between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in the
North and East of the country.

"IOM is working closely with the government and other agencies
to meet the needs of people newly displaced by the fighting. We are
using all our available resources and urgently need more funding to
help these people, many of whom have lost everything," says IOM's
head of emergency operations in Sri Lanka Giovanni Cassani.

IOM has already constructed emergency and semi-permanent
shelters, toilets and washing facilities at several sites for
internally displaced people (IDPs) in Vavuniya and Jaffna
districts.

It is also improving water supply and waste water management
systems at welfare centres, distributing essential sanitation
supplies to displaced families, and providing transport for relief
items donated by the government and other agencies in northern and
eastern districts.

Over the past three months IOM has transported nearly 300 loads
of relief supplies on behalf of government and other agencies to
conflict-affected people. In response to a government request, it
provided 28 trucks to transport medical equipment for a mobile
hospital set up to treat IDPs in Trincomalee district.

IOM will also be providing technical and logistical assistance
to improve the government's IDP registration process. The system,
based on software developed by IOM to register tsunami-affected
populations, includes the issuance of identity cards that will
facilitate future post-conflict recovery and return
initiatives.

Plans are also underway to construct temporary shelters for
educational and recreational activities and to conduct hygiene
promotion workshops in IDP shelter sites.

IOM's emergency operations in Sri Lanka are currently funded by
Australia, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the
European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) and the
United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID.)

For more information, please contact:

Aurela Rincon

Tel. +94 11 5325 392 (Ext. 379)

E-mail: "mailto:arincon@iom.int">arincon@iom.int

or

Passanna Gunasekera

Tel. +94 11 5325 300 (Ext. 341)

E-mail: "mailto:pgunasekera@iom.int">pgunasekera@iom.int