1. Christian response to the
humanitarian crisis in Vanni
What is happening?
What are Christians doing?
What can we do?

2. What is happening in the
Vanni?
• More than 220,000 people are
displaced in Vanni
• Majority of them since July 2008

5. • Many have been displaced several
times
• They flee from place to place, as the
Sri Lankan army advances

9. • Several civilians have been
killed and injured in shelling
and bombing
• Including babies and children

12. • Some people live in schools,
churches and other buildings
• Many live in the open air, on the
roadside and under trees

16. • People made desperate pleas to
foreign staff of UN and International
aid agencies not to leave them
• But they left based on orders of the
Government

20. • There is no independent international
witnesses to what is happening in
the Vanni now (Except ICRC)
• People are at the mercy of the Sri
Lankan armed forces and the LTTE

21. • Food, medicine and shelter materials are
in short supply due to restrictions imposed
by the government
• The severe restriction on fuel and resulting
high prices (1 litre of petrol is about Rs.
1,200) has made it even more difficult for
people to move
• This had also made it difficult to provide
health services and water through
bowsers

22. • As of early September, 75 schools
and about 13,000 children have been
displaced
• The GCE Advanced level examination
and Scholarship Exams were held
amidst this war
• Several hospitals have also been
displaced – injured people are there
even on the verandas of hospitals

23. • Forced recruitment by the
LTTE continues

24. • The LTTE has placed restrictions on
people to leave from the Vanni to
government controlled areas
• People also fear to cross to
government controlled areas as
around 700 people that have fled the
Vanni continue to be confined to
camps in the Mannar district

25. • Phones lines in the Vanni have been
cut
• Families are unable to find out about
wellbeing and whereabouts of their
relatives
• Communication problems also affects
the work of Church and aid agencies

26. What are
Christians doing?

27. • Priests, brothers and sisters continue
to live with the people in Vanni
• They move with people, as they
continue to be displaced from one
place to another

30. Despite security risks,
• The Bishop of Mannar visited people
in Vanni in September
• Priests from Mannar diocese also
continue to visit

34. • People in the dioceses of Mannar and
Jaffna (including Hindus) have
collected money and sent them to the
people of Vanni
• In recent visits by the Bishop of
Mannar, he had distributed Rs.
2,000,000

35. • Church agencies, Caritas and the
Jesuit Refugee Service has opted to
remain in Vanni
• This is even after all other UN and
International agencies left Vanni
after Government refused to
guarantee their safety

40. • Catholic Bishops of Jaffna and
Mannar, the Anglican Bishop of
Colombo and the Catholic Bishops
Conference of Sri Lanka had made
public appeals
• They have called for protection of
civilians, easing of restrictions on
essential items and involvement of
UN, ICRC and a body of inter-
religious leaders in implementing
protection mechanisms for civilians

41. • The Holy Childhood program of the
Archdiocese of Colombo has
launched a program to raise funds
which will be utilized to help provide
essential needs

42. • Christian Solidarity Movement (CSM)
– Helps Church leaders from the North in their work to
help the war affected people
– Undertakes solidarity and fact finding visits to Vavuniya
– Mannar – Jaffna and meets with Church leaders,
specially those who visits and come from Vanni
– Compiled a detailed report on the situation in Vanni –
this was also featured in local media and sent to
international agencies including diplomats and UN
officials
– Organized a Ecumenical prayer service on the situation
in the Vanni and also started to collect money to help the
affected people
– Is trying to raise awareness amongst people in the south
about the situation faced by civilians in Vanni

45. What can we do as Christians?
“I was hungry and you would not feed
me, thirsty and you would not give
me a drink.................
whenever you refused to help one of
these least important ones, you
refused to help me”
(Mathew 25:42/45)

46. • Make financial contributions towards
the provision of essential items such
as food, medicine, shelter
(Difficult to send materials due to
government restrictions)

47. • Organize special prayer services,
particularly inter-faith and
ecumenical services
• Organize discussions, exhibitions and
other events to create awareness
about the problems faced by civilians
• Organize public events, such as
vigils, silent protests, marches etc.

50. Call on the government to:
– Ensure protection of civilians in Vanni, such as
by the creation of “safe zones” where no
attacks will be launched
– Ensure access and safety for humanitarian
workers, particularly for international agencies
and their staff
– Easing of restrictions on essential items
– Incase people come to government controlled
areas, ensure their freedom of movement and
respect their choice of place to reside

51. Call on the LTTE to:
– Ensure protection of civilians in the Vanni, particularly by
not using them as human shields, stopping forcible
recruitment and creating “safe zones”
– Cooperate and respect “humanitarian corridors” for
movement of displaced people, humanitarian agencies
and humanitarian supplies
– Ensure freedom of movement for civilians, especially to
leave for government controlled areas if they wish to
– Ensure access and safety of humanitarian workers,
particularly local staff
– Ensure respect for humanitarian supplies and assets

52. “I have come to bring good news
to the poor………………….
to set the oppressed free”
(Luke 4:18)
• What would be good news to the
people in Vanni today?
• What can I / we do to bring that
good news?