Countries

Sri Lanka

Children from a school in Vettilaikerny, South of Jaffna, where WFP has a school meals programme. - Photo:WFP/Helen Kudrich
 

Crisis info as of 22 December 2009

  • As of 1 December the Government of Sri Lanka has relaxed the restriction on movement for IDPs in camps. Some 160,000 people-over half the original IDP population- are estimated to have left camps and have either resettled or are accommodated by host families. According to the Government’s 180-day all IDPs should be resettled by the end of January 2010.
  • WFP is currently providing a 6-month ration to IDPs being resettled and returned to their places of origin while continuing to feed 130,000 IDPs who still remain in camps.
  • As the return process continues, WFP is working with the World Bank, FAO, the Asian Development Bank, and UNDP, amongst others, to develop strategies and partnerships to support post-conflict recovery interventions, including reaching agreement on prioritizing funding and types of infrastructure rehabilitation, and other projects to be implemented.
  • As part of WFP’s climate adaptation strategy, fuel-efficient stoves were distributed to 50,000 IDP families. These stoves require less firewood than traditional models, and as they are portable, IDPs can transport them to their areas of resettlement.

Threats to Food Security

  • Land Mines in former conflict areas
  • High Food Prices
  • Climate Change
  • Disruption of Agricultural Cycle

Overview

Sri Lanka, with a population of more than 20 million people, is a middle-income country struggling with the after effects of the recently ended 26-year civil war between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Despite significant gains in human development indicators and poverty rates, the effects of the conflict including the disruption of the planting season and land mines in arable lands, together with the onset of the global financial crisis and the impact of sustained high food prices have eroded people’s ability to cope.

The last Government National Demographic Health Survey (2006-07) showed that nearly 17 percent of babies were born with low birth weight, while the prevalence of acute malnutrition (wasting), chronic malnutrition (stunting) and underweight was 15, 18 and 22 percent respectively, among under five children.
A challenge in reducing under nutrition in Sri Lanka has been the wide differences observed in its prevalence both geographically and across income segments. WFP interventions are focused mainly in the North, East and Southeastern part of the island where food insecurity is the most severe. 

WFP Activities

WFP’s activities in Sri Lanka continue to focus on providing support to the most vulnerable groups, including internally displaced people and other conflict, disaster or economically-affected people. The main components of WFP interventions in Sri Lanka are:

  • Emergency Support to IDPs returning and resettled IDPS as well as those remaining in camps
  • Nutritional supplementation to pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as to children 6 months to 5 years;
  • School meals to address short term hunger in primary/secondary schools;
  • Rehabilitation, Infrastructure development, and Climate Adaptation activities for seasonally unemployed people and landless labourers.
  • Food-for-training activities 

WFP Offices

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Country Director

Adnan Khan

Head Office

Colombo

Sub-offices
Ampara, Batticaloa , Galle, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mulaitivu, Trincomalee, Vavuniya
Media Contacts