Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, Oxfam's focus is on helping those affected by conflict, tsunami recovery work, gender equality and sustainable livelihoods.
Caring for displaced people
Recurrent violence has seen thousands of Sri Lankans forced to leave their homes.
Many families fleeing the conflict between government and Tamil Tiger separatists have no choice but to live in camps with very basic facilities.
How Oxfam is helping
Oxfam is providing water, sanitation facilities, and basic supplies to people living in camps.
I am grateful to Oxfam for providing a water supply. They have set up ten tanks and the Oxfam bowser is filling water tanks provided by other agencies.
Mohammed Ali, Kanthale
We are also providing a safe and appropriate environment for women by setting up water tanks closer to the camps and providing well-lit and covered bathing and toilet facilities.
Oxfam's development work
- Securing people's livelihoods by helping them find ways of increasing their income
- Increasing the leadership and management capacities of women
- Providing secure water supplies
Learn more
Read more examples of our work in Sri Lanka:
ECHO (Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission) is a funding partner of Oxfam in Sri Lanka
Ending violence against women
Oxfam's We Can campaign aims to break down social attitudes and customs which support violence against women.
- More than 60 per cent of Sri Lankan women suffer domestic violence.
- On average, more than 100 cases of domestic violence are reported each month in the national media. Many more go unrecorded.
How Oxfam is helping
Some five million specially-trained ‘Change Makers’ from across South East Asia are helping mobilise 50 million people and bring about a sea-change in attitudes towards women.
Our water tanks carry messages on how violence against women affects the whole family. They attract a lot of people. The images are clear and we know that people who can read tell others what the words mean.
Shanthi Sivanesan, Oxfam
Other campaigning work
- Campaigning for tougher controls on the arms trade through our Control Arms campaign
Tsunami crisis
The tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004 caused widespread devastation on the east coast of Sri Lanka.
- 31,000 Sri Lankans lost their lives
- 443,000 people forced from their homes
- Nearly $1.5 billion worth of property destroyed
How Oxfam is helping
Oxfam will be continuing to work until 2008 to help the worst affected rebuild their lives.
We fishermen will never forget, because Oxfam was the first to come and help us.
Khalikuti Viraputera
Learn more
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