Relief to Vaharai

25 August 2006

Alliance Development Trust provided relief items for 14 days to 300 families in Vaharai with the help of United Nation World Food Program (UNWFP). Due to tightened security, no agencies were allowed to enter the area. A UN convoy transported the 1000 dry food rations as far as they could and delivered the items to government agents who in turn handed over the goods to the Divisional Secretariat in Vaharei. The Divisional Secretariat distributed the supplies to the refugee camps.

2 June 2006

Alliance Development Trust provided food for 250 families that took refuge at the Kathiravely School. Among them are 218 students, 39 nursing mothers and 2 pregnant women. Dry ration were provided  for ten days for 80 families. The number of refugee families slowly increased to 270.

The families that are in the school have arrived from Katauarachan, Sampur, Peruvely, Manalchenai, Pardipuram, and Kalivaty. “It is not safe for us in to live there any more. A 24 year old man was killed by the army and another 28 year old was killed in our village and it might be us next so we have to move away” said one of the mothers.

When asked when they are planning to return, they said they did not know. “We do not know when to return. It is not safe there. We will return when things are back to normal and it is safe for us to live there” said a father carrying his baby boy on his shoulders. There are three toilets and one well at the site and the well provides water for the families for bathing and drinking.  I asked Mr. Mukthy from TRO if they have any plans of relocating the families somewhere and he said they have plans to do so but still they have not come up with any specific location. I also asked him if they have shelters etc ready for the families to move into. He said they do not have anything ready but would look to various agencies to help relocate the families. The first challenge, however, is to find  suitable land to relocate the families before the school starts.

The above information is what we collected when we visited the camps ourselves and talked to the people. We also talked to TRO who provided the initial relief to the Vaharai camp.