Christian Horizons recently cancelled a development trip to Sri Lanka due to the escalating violence in the nation. The South Asian country is heavily engaged in an ongoing civil war that began in 1983. In 2001 a ceasefire was declared but by 2005 the loosely knit threads of peace unraveled bringing further bloodshed to the war torn island.

Streets of Stri Lanka

Despite the violence, there have been efforts to bring services to persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka. In February 2006 a conference was held on disabilities that brought together key leaders from the church. The focus of the conference was to build awareness as to the situations facing persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka.

A key participant in the Sri Lankan ministry is Benedict Gomez, CH Support Worker from Durham 3. Benedict, who had previously traveled to Sri Lanka with the Free Methodist Church mission program, has been instrumental in helping to research needs, develop contacts and partnerships (CH’s partner organization in Sri Lanka is the Methodist Church) and in helping to establish a first-time Camping program for persons with disabilities.

Sri Lankan child with disabilities

Frontline workers for the most part come from Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Muslim faiths – 72 percent of the population adheres to Buddhism. With such variety in beliefs, there are different interpretations as to the reasons why individuals have disabilities. Most people believe that it is a result of a curse or due to some sin that was committed by their family.

Day Centre: Kulmanai Camp

The camp program was held in 1 day segments due to lack of facilities for overnight stays. Participants arrived from surrounding areas and then returned to their homes in the evening. It’s not an ideal situation but it’s a start and according to Benedict, all those attending seemed blessed for the experience. This is in large part to the fact that such camping programs for persons with exceptional needs have not been previously available.

Benedict further reports that many of the parents and children attending expressed heartfelt gratitude for the one meal they received while there. Such gratitude in North America may be hard to understand (not many of us have to go without eating due to not being able to afford groceries), but in Sri Lanka, poverty is rampant and three meals a day for many is a luxury.

Enjoying a meal

The 2006 camp program was able to reach out to 300 individuals with exceptional needs. A goal has already been set to increase these numbers to 500 for 2007. Also on the agenda for next year’s program will be to provide training to frontline staff on needs assessment, responding to situations as they occur and basic training in rehabilitation. DSW equivalent courses are also being considered for development as no such curriculum currently exists.

There will be more updates on our work in Sri Lanka in the months ahead.

Christian Horizons is working in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Russia, Ecuador and with people from the First Nations community in Canada. Please pray for Christian Horizons Global Projects