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Noor Jezima who lost her husband and one child in the tsunami feeds her goats which she received with support from Oxfam. She lives with her two remaining sons near Hanbantota, Sri Lanka. Photo: Howard Davies/Oxfam

Sri Lanka

In the three years since the tsunami crashed into the coast of Sri Lanka, Oxfam Australia has been working directly with communities and through partner organisations. Our work ensures people not only regain their lives, but can also build a more secure future.

Our main priorities are supporting communities in health, access to clean water and sanitation, securing long-term livelihoods and shelter. At the heart of this work is our commitment to equity and ensuring the voices of women, men, and the poorest are heard. Their voices inform the direction of rehabilitation and help in building peace between communities.

Health, water and sanitation

We ensure our partner communities stay healthy through long-term solutions to water supply and sanitation through building wells and toilets. We support this with community training on health, nutrition and disease prevention.


Sarath and his neighbour Pushpa have established a dried fish business with support from Oxfam in Sri Lanka.
Photo: Howard Davies/Oxfam

Livelihoods

A secure and ongoing income will enable people in tsunami-affected areas to overcome poverty. We support women and men with loans and training for starting small enterprises such as:


Oxfam through its partner organisations is constructing new houses in Sri Lanka for people left homeless after the tsunami.
Photo: Alison Cleary/OxfamAUS

Shelter

We support people who lost their homes in the tsunami to collaborate in designing and rebuilding houses. We have sourced sustainable timber from Australia which has been used to build and repair houses, classrooms and community halls. Our innovative housing program also provides houses to people living in tsunami-affected areas that weren’t affected by the tsunami, but are socially and economically disadvantaged.

Land tenure issues continue to add complexity to our shelter program. Proving ownership of existing land and securing new land for displaced people are lengthy processes. We are working with communities and the government to make these as efficient as possible.

Strengthening communities

Enhancing local skills and awareness of rights will support communities’ growth and future resilience. We support the strengthening of communities and their organisations through, for example, involvement in decision-making processes and training in gender, rights awareness, financial management and local government processes.

Read our stories from the field to find out how our activities are supporting tsunami recovery in Sri Lanka and making a positive difference to people’s lives.