Several months after Sri Lanka's 26-year conflict ended in May, approximately 270,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the northern part of Sri Lanka are still waiting to return home.

An estimated 70,000 lives were lost in the conflict - twice as many as from the 2004 tsunami - and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Moreover, some of the conflict-affected people in this island nation were affected by the tsunami as well.

As part of its humanitarian mission, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is helping the IDPs in northern Sri Lanka with water, hygiene and health promotion including psychosocial wellbeing, medical care, latrines, food and hygiene items.

Disaster preparedness

Through its ongoing disaster preparedness programme, the American Red Cross is also supporting the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society in Vavuniya - the northern district where more than 230,000 IDPs are housed - to be better prepared to respond to future disasters.

Sebastiampillai Ramya, known as Ramya, began volunteering with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society in Vavuniya in March of this year, when IDPs started arriving in her town. She recently attended a week-long branch disaster response team (BDRT) training.

"Before the BDRT course, I didn't fully understand how to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable beneficiaries with our relief distributions, or coordinate with other stakeholders to locate and minimize gaps in assistance," said Ramya.

Relief management

"Now, I understand effective and coordinated relief management, as well as the importance of being personally well prepared to better help the beneficiaries."

Along with Ramya, a total of 30 local Red Cross staff and volunteers from Vavuniya have become part of the specialized BDRT and now are equipped with megaphones, raincoats and boots, flashlights, hardhats and other items necessary during a response, and the technical knowledge to accompany the equipment.

Pankaj Mishra, the American Red Cross' disaster preparedness programme country manager, says: "By developing the branch disaster management plan and offering more specialized trainings for staff and volunteers, the Vavuniya branch will be better equipped to respond to the needs of the IDPs, the seasonal monsoon floods common in this region and other natural disasters."

Just like in the north, floods, landslides and fires frequently occur throughout Sri Lanka, and the American Red Cross is increasing the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society's response capacity in 11 branches in total. Together, the National Societies are helping a total of 193 communities and 137 schools to identify their disaster risks, mitigate them and prepare for what hopefully will never happen.