The armed conflict at the northern part of the island nation led to an exodus of internally displaced people (IDPs) fleeing the conflict zone. Close to 300,000 people fled their homes in the north of the country. As the IDP crisis worsened, the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore made an appeal for humanitarian assistance. In response, MR sent in a 5-man preliminary team to assess the ground situation as well as to deliver the first tranche of humanitarian aid consisting of paediatric medicines and supplements.

Working closely with local NGO partner and local government agencies, MR was the only foreign NGO to have gained access into Vavuniya – the area with the highest concentration of IDPs. Together with Sarvodaya Shramadana (the largest NGO in Sri Lanka) and the Sri Lankan National Water Supply and Distribution Board, MR helped to alleviate the acute water shortage in the camps by providing 10 units of wells with jack-pneumatic pumps. Subsequent relief efforts included the delivery of medical supplies comprising mainly of antibiotics, vitamins and medicines for respiratory cases.

About Mercy Relief

Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.  

In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,  Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.

For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org

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