Better shelter for Sri Lanka’s displaced

Following the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka in 2010, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society began a housing and livelihoods project in the northern part of the country to support the most vulnerable of the displaced people, who can now finally return to their homelands. The programme focuses on individuals such as Fathima, a mother of five who lost her home and husband during the conflict. She has lived in a temporary camp with her family for more than 20 years. “The concept of a home was an illusion to us. We never thought this conflict would come to an end and that we would stop running from one place to another,” says Fathima, who can now live in one of 21,000 homes provided with support from the IFRC, the government of India and other sources.

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