Emergency Response to COVID-19 in Sri Lanka

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for your generosity, kindness and support towards Street Child’s COVID-19 emergency response in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has been grappling with the severe third wave of COVID-19 cases since mid-April 2021, with the daily rate of infection currently higher than previously recorded figures. The government declared a nationwide lockdown on 20^th August 2021 for 14 days which has been consecutively extended three times. On Monday 27^th September, the government announced for state and private sector workforces to return to office on October 1^st, which will officially end the 6 week long lockdown. Currently, as of 28^th September 2021, the recorded daily average is exceeding 900 new cases, resulting in over 46,500 active cases in the country.

The COVID-19 emergency response was able to meet the immediate needs of daily wage worker families and frontline workers. Local government relief efforts were supported in Mullaitivu, Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts by contributing to the urgent need for personal protective equipment (PPE), food assistance and non-medical items for Intermediate Care Centres and Treatment Centres at Base Hospitals. These resources have collectively assisted 4,000 beneficiaries including frontline workers with the response to the overwhelming patient count in hospitals, have protected individuals to prevent infection and has provided relief to families who have lost a source of income during prolonged lockdown.

As the country returns to a COVID-19 ‘normal’ with an increasingly high amount of active cases remaining, our COVID-19 emergency responses will continue to play a vital role as communities navigate through the uncertainties of the pandemic in the upcoming weeks and months. Street Child hope to provide relief where necessary and respond to local government authority requests as communities face challenges amid the pandemic.  

Your donation is a meaningful contribution to help communities navigate, prepare and better manage the periods of uncertainty. Street Child thank you for your ongoing support.