UN says many children in the camps are malnourished

In a statement issued by the Colombo office of the UN humanitarian coordinator, the appeal says aid agencies and the government are struggling to cope with a sudden rise in displaced people.

“We must address together the current shortcomings in assistance. We must build confidence amongst these Sri Lanka citizens who have suffered considerably,” Mahinda Samarasinghe, minister for disaster management and human rights was quoted in the statement.

USD 155 million appeal

There are over 190,000 displaced housed in 42 separate sites in the north. Thousands more are trapped in the combat zone.

The appeal was issued to address the most urgent needs, food, water, sanitation, shelter, nutrition, health and protection, as well as educational requirements for an estimated 250,000 people.

	Minister says the UN and the Govt. should work together to help IDPs

“It’s a critical time. Around a quarter of under five year olds in the camps are under-nourished, and they need immediate help. Tens of thousands more civilians are expected to come from the remaining zone,” Neil Buhne, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sri Lanka has said.

The statement reiterated the UN appeal for the government to continue to release people from camps and return them to their homes as quickly as possible.

The UN appealed for 155 million US dollars in March.

Many countries have already pledged assistance but the UN says that less than one third of that appeal has been funded.