YMCA Sri Lanka Prepares for the Emergency Relief Work with Support of the PSG

Last Updated (Monday, 03 October 2022 12:18)

In the early months of this year, Sri Lanka, as a nation, was forced to face the worst economic crisis in its post-independence history. The economic tribulation was nothing of the likes our little island nation had ever experienced, even during a three-decade-long civil war. Experts and economists the world over pointed squarely at unsustainable debt, white-elephant infrastructure projects, and widespread internal corruption as the source of the island nation's economic woes. Being a democratic society, there was political upheaval as masses of citizens rose in protest over the rising cost of living. Daily stories of death and despair of many dot the news, as it has for many months.

The political upheaval resulted in the cabinet's resignation and, finally, the resignation and self-exile of the President, whose family has controlled Sri Lanka for most of the last decade. This resignation resulted in the appointment of a new President, who has since taken office and cracked down on activists, and organizers, including young university students, priests, monks, and other social activists throughout the country, resulting in an air of fear and an erosion of democratic values in governance. Most recently, the nation saw the appointment of high-security zones in metropolitan Colombo overseeing most of the country’s administrative offices and hotbeds for those expressing peaceful dissent. These high-security zones now include the premises of both the National Council and the Colombo YMCA. The state is cracking down on activists by arresting and charging them under a draconian civil-war era law known as the “Prevention of Terrorism Act”, a law which has been used over the years to target civil rights activists and jail them for an indefinite time. Many remained imprisoned for over twenty to thirty years without being formally charged. The nation to concede that once more, disappearances and abductions are part and parcel of life on the island.

In the immediate stage, there is a dire need for food and medical supplies in the nation as the cost of living reaches heights never seen before. Even official inflation figures are at 70.2%, with the price index rising well above. In this backdrop, many households are facing food shortages, and stories of parents committing murder-suicide on their children because of the lack of basic food provisions is commonplace. News reports that in the former war-ravaged Northern Province, there is a drastic increase in parents committing their children to state or private institutions as they can no longer afford to provide them with basic food. Furthermore, hospitals are facing a dire shortage of medical supplies, and most recently, a number of juvenile deaths were reported because of the non-existence of the rabies vaccine. Also an alarming rise in infantile and juvenile malnutrition both on account of lack of access to food and malnutrition in gestating mothers passed on to infants. Essentially it must be understood that in the immediate time period, to provide interim relief to the suffering masses, the most immediate requirement is food and medical supplies for those in dire need.

In the immediate time period following the social upheaval, the National Council of the YMCAs of Sri Lanka (NCYSL) took the unprecedented step of publicly condemning the suppression of peaceful dissent by way of a press release. Furthermore, the NCYSL supported and continues to support many of its volunteer youth actively involved in the demand for social equity and justice. Facing the realities of the food crisis and economic depression, the NCYSL took steps to draft a comprehensive relief plan focusing on the short-term, medium-term and long-term relief work. In the early stages of relief, given the present circumstances and a lack of financial resources to carry out comprehensive relief work, NCYSL provided tactical support to a number of partners and civil service organizations in their relief work, which has been up until the present primarily focused on urgent medical relief. Furthermore, the NCYSL is working with the network of local YMCAs to better understand the regional issues the local populace faces so that relief work might be expedited when funding is received. Through this network of regional YMCAs, an impending food crisis of truly alarming proportions is realized in the forthcoming months. YMCA Sri Lanka has proposed a comprehensive plan to expand its “Farm of Hope” Program in order to better contribute to the National food reserves as hundreds of farmers are forced out of agriculture on account of the economic woes.

The Partner Support Group under the leadership of the APAY was a truly welcomed initiative that was commenced at the World Council. Beginning there, the group has met on a monthly basis and while a number of funds were received over the course of the last two months but with delays in the banking sector of the nation, those funds have only just started to be received into the accounts of the NCYSL. These monies committed either to a specific cause or a general fund are administrated by the NCYSL under the supervision of the APAY.

At present following its preliminary work, the NCYSL has identified a number of channels by which relief work is to be carried out. The primary goal in identifying channels was where can the most work be done, at minimum cost, with maximum beneficiaries. In this endeavour the NCYSL has identified a number of key regional partners who are able to have the maximum penetration in order to reach target beneficiaries in regions where YMCAs are not present, and further food support will reach families that need it most through the network of the local YMCAs. The local YMCAs or other partner organizations will identify families in dire need and this will be reviewed by the staff of the NCYSL on a random basis. Thereafter, rations will be released to these families on a priority basis taking into consideration mitigating or adverse factors. Wherever it is identified as beneficial, partnerships will be formed to increase the pool of funds to reach wider beneficiaries. Larger programs encompassing medical relief or other medium and/or long-term programs will be carried out directly by the NCYSL in strictly governed partnerships with local YMCAs and/or government bodies.

The situation on the ground is truly heart-rending, but the empathy and support of our fraternity from all over the globe are as inspiring as it is helpful. The NCYSL is forever grateful to the members of the Partner Support Group that have reached out to Sri Lanka during this time of need. We look forward to working closely with the partners over the next few years on programs that will uplift the Lankan community first from the abyss of this crisis and then as it recovers. Our focus will always be on young people and children and ensure they will not be a “generation lost”!

By Fabian Schokman
Acting General Secretary
NCY of Sri Lanka