Personal stories
Back to the East
In March 2007, RedR ventured back into the volatile east coast of Sri Lanka to deliver training courses to assist the humanitarian work taking place in the region.
The training included workshops in being prepared for emergencies and the international standards (Sphere) of humanitarian response that people affected by disasters are entitled to. It was the first time that RedR had been able to work in the eastern town of Trincomalee since 2005. The area has been largely inaccessible due to the fighting taking place between the LTTE (Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam) and the government.
The courses were delivered in Tamil to participants from local organisations and government departments. One of the participants in the Sphere training commented: “We have not been informed about the good practices in the humanitarian sector. I am now happy to know that NGOs have good guiding mechanisms to work with communities.”
District Learning Support Officer, Sushanthy Gobalakrishnan, noted: “RedR has been able to reach many humanitarian organisations with our training. With the current political and humanitarian situation here, the demand to build the capacity of local organisations has become much greater.”
She continued: “In a period of such high tension, this event was a good beginning for RedR to reach the people who are in genuine need of such training programmes.”
The training courses run in Trincomalee are part of a wider programme to expand knowledge and skills within Sri Lanka to improve the community’s ability to prepare for emergencies and respond to humanitarian need.
Top toolbar
