Reintegration of war-affected children and former child-combatants

Project code : LK-025Q
Project period: 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2012

Programme	Exploitation	Funds needed	€0.00
Country	Sri Lanka	People supported directly	335
Project location	Batticaloa	People supported indirectly

May 2009 marked the end of the conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). As in most cases of civil war, the population and especially children bear the brunt of the conflict. Three decades of war have disrupted the lives of many people. More than 100,000 people have died since the start of the conflict. Large-scale displacement of tens of thousands of families, forced recruitment of children for combat, lack of basic facilities, widespread and sustained poverty and dire economic prospects have coined the lives of a whole generation in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the areas where the war was mainly being fought.

One million Lankan children have been seriously affected by the war, suffering from a lack of education, health, food and clothing and large numbers are displaced. Many children lost one or both parents and there is an increase in the number of households headed by women, which are more likely to be exposed to economic hardship.

This project specifically addresses the problems and needs of war affected children. The project's objective is to reintegrate vulnerable and war-affected children and ex-combatant youth into the family and community and for them to function as healthy and productive persons in the society. The project provides a protective environment and temporary safe shelter for war-affected children and ex-combatant youth to protect them from further neglect and to rule out (renewed) conscription. It provides medical care, health awareness programmes and nutritious food to the war-affected children and ex-combatants children. It offers psychological counselling (one-to-one therapy and group therapy) to mentally rehabilitate the traumatized war-affected children and ex-combatant youth and improve their coping-strategies to increase their resilience. It offers cultural, recreational and child rights education and personal skills training to enhance the war-affected children's and ex-combatant youths' awareness and assertiveness and to ensure inclusion in social community networks. It provides access to local formal and informal education, tuition class and vocational training to war-affected children and ex-combatant youth.

This project is co-funded by the European Union and Terre des Hommes Netherlands.

Partners for this project

Professional Psychological Counselling Centre (PPCC)