Life at the Sri Lanka SOS Care Centre for refugee children

And for many of the 175 children, who are currently cared for at the SOS centre in "Zone 4" of the camp, it is still not known whether they will ever be able to live with their families again.

16 children reunited with families
Some of the children are orphans, many only have one parent left and with others it is not clear if the people who claim to be their parents are really their fathers and mothers. However, 16 children were successfully reunited with their families in recent weeks. 

Finding families
If a child is considered to be "unaccompanied", SOS Children's Villages is given custody of that child by order of court. There are two steps to clarify a child's family status. First the children themselves are interviewed and then SOS Children's Villages makes inquiries inside and outside the refugee camp in cooperation with the local authorities.

 

 

Our main aim is to reunite families and in order to achieve this we are in dialogue with Save the Children to make use of our joint resources. But until the children are reunited with their families they need proper care and special protection. Divakar Ratnadurai of SOS Children's Villages Sri Lanka thinks that many more children will be taken into the centre and that the programme which was originally scheduled to last for six months will be extended for at least another six months. For those children who are found to have no relatives there is the option of being taken into long-term care at an SOS Children's Village.

For weeks, heavy monsoon rains and blocked drains have been making the living conditions at the camp even harder. And even though conditions at the SOS centre are among the best at the camp there have been cases of malaria among the children as a result of regular swarms of mosquitoes and flies. Two children were treated for chickenpox and another two had to have operations on wounds they had sustained from bullets.

 

 

 

Education and leisure time
Since the centre was finally opened in August after a period of difficult preparations and negotiations, the children (more than half of them are between the age of 11 and 15)* have had the chance to have a daily routine and, after a long time, once again experience something like normality. "Within only two weeks we could see very big changes among the children", says Divakar. Most of them are very scared, introverted and quiet when they arrive.

 

 

But at the SOS centre, where they share their life with other children who have had similar experiences, they regain their confidence. They feel secure and start to see prospects for the future. SOS Children's Villages tries in particular to give all children the opportunity to regularly attend school classes. The two canteens and an empty dormitory serve as classrooms where people who used to teach at public schools and are now also refugees take turns to teach the children different subjects such as mathematics, Tamil, physics and dancing. The children also attend English classes. They are taught according to the official curriculum and have to take exams. This will enable them to attend state schools later on. Five young people, who are all over 18, have been given the opportunity to do an apprenticeship at the Don Bosco Vocational Centre in Vavuniya.

 

 

 

The children are very fond of the leisure time activities they are offered. On Sundays, different activities are on offer, such as singing, dancing or acting groups. Saturdays are dedicated to football, volleyball and other sports. The sports activities are supported by numerous volunteers from the refugee camp who are very committed trainers for the children.

On Wednesdays there is a meeting when every child and young person has the opportunity to talk about his or her worries and wishes. They can ask questions and talk about their options for vocational training, life at the centre and their future. According to Divakar, the centre plans to set up a child rights forum within which the children can participate and are informed about their rights.

 

 

Their own garden
Behind the buildings of the SOS centre something really astonishing is taking place. The dull soil which turns into ankle-deep mud when it rains at the camp is full of little plants. They were planted by the children, who tend them every day to make sure that they will soon carry healthy fruits and vegetables. The children obviously enjoy gardening. It means they learn to take on responsibility and, above all, that they have the power to bring about a change if they take matters into their own hands.

*95 girls and 80 boys. More than 100 children are between the ages of 11 and 15, over 20 children are between the ages of six and then, over thirty are between 16 and 20 years old.