News
- “Bolivia is not doing enough to protect girls against sexual violence"
- New projects against child exploitation in Ehiopia
- Government promises action against Dutch pedophiles in foreign countries
- Bangladeshi projects make headlines in Dutch newspapers
- Foundation stone for new vocational training institute in Bangladesh
- Project Partner Koinonia helps flood victims return to school
- Terre des Hommes hospital ship no longer needed
- Flood relief in Sri lanka
- Terre des Hommes draws the attention of the United Nations to the human rights of trafficked children
- The Hague Global Child Labour Conference
- For a reinforcement of children’s rights
Working children
13 year old Nandini, seen in the picture above, never went to school. She works as a weaver to supplement her family's income. Thanks to local project partner Society for Human Education (SHE) Nandini attends non formal education classes for out-of-school children. Non formal education provides working children the opportunity to study at a convenient place, pace and time. Nandini is studying for her 10th standard diploma.
Emergency Aid
The heaviest rains in almost one hundred years hit Sri Lanka from 26 December 2010 onwards, causing devastating floods and landslides throughout the country. The floods followed two cycles of flash flooding in the capital city of Colombo on 10 November and in the northern districts from late November onwards that put many of the conflict-affected returnees in serious difficulties. This series of extensive and devastating floods, due to record rainfall levels since November, have cumulatively stretched coping strategies and available resources to the brink of exhaustion.
At the height of the floods, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) of the Ministry of Disaster Management reported that 1,055,262 people (283,667 families) were flood-affected, with 27 deaths and 12 people reported missing, as of 14 January 2011, and 362, 646 people displaced in some 630 temporary relocation centres in 12 districts. Batticaloa reported the highest number of flood-affected displaced people (165,494) followed by Ampara (157,649). From 13 January, the flood waters began to recede and people began to return home; however, the humanitarian needs remain due to damaged houses, crops and livelihoods.
The eastern and northern districts have borne the brunt of the recent floods, with 94% of the affected population located in the three eastern districts of Batticaloa, Ampara and Trincomalee. Here, the floods damaged over 24,000 houses, and severely affected livelihoods and agricultural production resulting in heightened food insecurity. For some of the people affected in the east, the floods were another setback after rebuilding their lives following the December 2004 Tsunami and/or after displacement from the conflict during 2006/2007 (Sri Lanka 2011 Flash Appeal UNOCHA).
Four of our existing project partners in Batticaloa will be involved in the flood relief: Mencafep, PPCC, Jeeva Jothy and Koinonia.
Mencafep:
The Mentally Handicapped Children & Families Education Project (MENCAFEP) was established MENCAFEP in Nuwara Eliya in 1988. For the last 20 years MENCAFEP has been running a day care centre for children with disabilities and a CBR programme in the Nuwara Eliya district. After the tsunami in 2004, MENCAFEP started its project in the Batticaloa district. The main goal of MENCAFEP is to deliver quality non-institutional care for disabled children in the day centre and their environment (community based rehabilitation) and to educate the parents and the community on disability. By doing so, MENCAFEP aims to achieve their overall objective that disabled children and young people live in and are part of their own communities with dignity.
PPCC:
In 1993 the Jesuits established the Professional Psychological Counselling Centre to support war victims. Father Paul is the executive director of PPCC and Mr Maxwell is the programme director; both are licensed counsellors.
Since 1993 PPCC gives counselling to war-affected and other traumatised children and adults, trains social workers and staff of other NGOs. Besides this, they run 7 homes for war affected children and the Cuckoo's Nest project, a special vocational training project for ex-combat children.
Jeeva Jothy:
The organisation Jeeva Jothi is based in Batticaloa, the eastern part of Sri Lanka that is affected by the conflict between the Government Security Forces and the LTTE for the last 25 years. Jeeva Jothi's mission is "relieving the distress of affected children" and the organisations goal is "creating awareness among the public in general and children in particular concerning child's rights and promoting implementation of child rights". Jeeva Jothi has been trying to achieve this goal by: 1) establishing and maintaining family natured children's homes; 2) helping children in war affected areas; 3) counselling families and promoting family reunion for abandoned and neglected children; 4) providing vocational training; 5) networking with likeminded organisations; 6) providing support to likeminded organisations to create efficient and effective outputs through training and other means; 7) promoting implementation of child rights; 8) environmental protection; 9) promoting mother-child relationships and empowering mothers and widows.
Koinonia:
In 1995 Koinonia was established as a result of an initiative of a group of friends to help refugees fleeing to Batticaloa. In the last 14 years the organisation developed itself into a professional development organisation. The organisation has 7 board members and several advisors including a Probation Officer and an Education Officer.
Koinonia's vision is to provide each child a good and proper foundation for their future education, especially to the children in the rural areas who are denied quality education. Additionally the organisation helps children to overcome trauma they have experienced due to war, tsunami or other reasons. The organisations mission is to prepare children for primary schools, to help children overcome trauma and develop their talents and live in a society in a proper manner.