At least a quarter of pregnant and breastfeeding women currently sheltering in government-controlled camps in north-east Sri Lanka are suffering from acute malnourishment.
Thursday 21 May 2009
We are urging the Sri Lankan authorities and the humanitarian community to make the well-being of these malnourished and traumatised mothers and children an urgent priority.
More than 50,000 civilians are expected to flood out of the conflict zone after weeks of being trapped, following the Sri Lanka government's declaration of the end of its military operation against the minority Tamil rebel group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Mothers and children are the worst-affected according to the Sri Lankan government's own figures. Those now arriving in the overcrowded camps in Vavuniya, Jaffna and Trincomalee, towns in the north of the country, have in some cases walked distances of up to 80 km. Many are wounded and most are traumatised. At least 32% of the children arriving at the camps are malnourished, some having gone days without food.
“The lives of children will be endangered if the health of mothers is not made a priority,” says Save the Children’s South and Central Asia Regional Director, Dr. Balwant Singh. “Mothers and children have already suffered greatly after weeks of being trapped without adequate access to food, water and medical attention. We urgently need to step up our assistance to them."
The Sri Lankan government says more than 200,000 people have been displaced by the conflict - half of whom are children. Conditions within the camps are harsh. Demands for limited clean water supplies are increasing as more people arrive.
While we acknowledge that the local authorities are facilitating community cooking programmes within the camps, pregnant and breastfeeding women need extra provisions - this is crucial not only to their own health, but also to that of their children.
Save the Children, which has been working in Sri Lanka for more than 30 years, is currently helping 30,000 children and their families in the camps, distributing food, water, clothes, shelter and infant kits. We are supporting local authorities in providing temporary education facilities and child-friendly spaces, encouraging children to play in safety within the camps.
Find out more about our emergency response in Sri Lanka.