‘National rejuvenation getting into top gear’ - Part III:

Welfare villages given the best care

Text of keynote speech for the defence seminar, ‘Towards Lasting Peace And Stability’ delivered by Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on August 8

Cooperative outlets and markets were established, and many IDPs also started individual businesses within the villages. State sector and private sector banks established outlets inside the villages, and post offices and communication centres were also set up.

Extensive healthcare facilities and sufficient medical supplies were provided in all the Welfare Villages.

A Directorate of IDP Healthcare was established under the Ministry of Health, and medical officers were appointed to be in charge of each Welfare Village. Other health workers, including nurses, pharmacists and public health officials worked under their guidance. Each Welfare Village had a Primary Health Care Centre and a well equipped Referral Hospital. As a result of all the care taken at the Welfare Villages, the IDPs soon recovered from the ill health they had suffered while with the LTTE. Between May and June 2009, the crude mortality rate fell from 0.7 per 10,000 per day to 0.5 per 10,000 per day, which is the threshold rate for South East Asia. By July 2009, it had settled at 0.15 per 10,000 per day, which is the threshold rate for Sri Lanka.

Vocational training centres

Special facilities for psychiatric care, including support for individuals with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, were provided within the Welfare Villages. Psychosocial support, including counselling programmes, was provided. Many efforts were taken to promote religious, spiritual and cultural activities, and places of worship such as Kovils, Churches and Mosques were established through community consultation, with special facilities being provided for all clergy. Community centres and common areas were built for adults, and young adults were provided with career counselling.

Vocational training centres were also established in each Welfare Village for capacity building and empowerment. IDPs were assisted in setting up home businesses. Special public administration services were provided, including facilities to reconstruct legal documents and issue temporary Identity Cards. ‘Happiness Centres’ were established for children, and various activities including art, music, drama, yoga and sports were conducted. Schools were established from Grade 1 to 11 in all the Welfare Villages, with special Advanced Level classes being conducted at Kadirgamar Village.

The internally displaced remained in the welfare camps only for as long as it took to demine their places of origin and reconstruct necessary infrastructure to facilitate their resettlement. Under the speedy resettlement programme launched by the government soon after the war, a significant number of the IDPs were resettled in their homes. By the end of July 2012, just three years after the end of the war, the government has successfully resettled 237,672 IDPs. A further 28,398 have chosen to live with host families in various parts of the country.

Major challenge

It should be noted that 7,185 had left the IDP camps on various grounds and did not return, while a further 1,380 sought admission to hospitals and did not return after treatment. 802 IDPs died due to natural causes during the time they were awaiting to be resettled. Only 5,424 individuals from 1,597 families remain in the last functioning Welfare Village. These IDPs are from areas that have the highest concentration of mines, which have taken a little longer than expected to render safe. The government intends to complete the resettlement of all IDPs by the middle of this month.

Resettling nearly 300,000 internally displaced people in just three years is a very significant accomplishment. It would not have been possible without the professionalism and commitment of the military, which facilitated almost all the major undertakings involved.

Apart from the IDPs, the government faced another major challenge with regard to 'Rehabilitating' the large numbers of LTTE cadres who surrendered or were detained during the course of the Humanitarian Operation. A total of 11,989 LTTE combatants surrendered to the military during the Humanitarian Operation. These cadres were categorised according to their known level of involvement in LTTE activities, and treated separately. The Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation was established to oversee the their rehabilitation and reintegration. A ‘six plus one’ rehabilitation process model was adopted for the beneficiaries of the rehabilitation programme. This process rested on six pillars; namely Spiritual, Religious and Cultural Activities, Vocational and Livelihood activities, Psychological and Creative Therapies, Sports and Extracurricular Activities, Sociocultural Activities and Education.

Community awareness programmes were also conducted, and efforts taken to sensitise the public to the needs of the beneficiaries so that they would be more receptive to their reintegration. Particular attention was given to the 594 child soldiers who surrendered. A special rehabilitation programme was organised for them, with assistance from UNICEF. These programmes were carried out at the Child Protection Centre in Poonthottam and the Hindu College Ratmalana. Much effort was taken to provide proper counselling for these child beneficiaries.

Special spiritual development activities and positive values cultivation programmes were conducted for them. Formal education was provided, with classes being conducted for more than 200 students between Grade 8 and Grade 11, and 65 students in the Advanced Level sections. Several 6 month long vocational training programmes were also conducted in subjects including information technology, aesthetics, carpentry, masonry, beauty culture et cetera. The child beneficiaries were reunited with their families within one year, although 74 came back to Hindu College Ratmalana to continue the education programmes they had been following.

Religious and cultural activities

The adult beneficiaries of rehabilitation were initially housed in 22 Protective Accommodation and Rehabilitation Centres maintained by the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation. All of the centres were built to a good standard. It is important to stress the fact that several International agencies and Non Governmental Organisations such as the IOM and UNICEF were given free and unfettered access to the rehabilitation centres. So too were diplomats, media personnel, lawyers, and the family members of the beneficiaries. Special leave was also granted to many of the beneficiaries to visit their families, and attend religious and cultural activities at home from time to time.

All beneficiaries underwent extensive programmes that were designed to equip them with the ability to return to normal life in society. Spiritual, religious and cultural rehabilitation programmes were also conducted, with an intention to reacquaint the beneficiaries with cultural and family norms. Psychological and creative therapy rehabilitation was provided, including group counselling and therapy sessions, aesthetics and drama therapy programmes. Beneficiaries were also encouraged to take part in various sports activities.

Special training and periodic refresher training was provided to centre administrators on how to provide psychological first aid and counselling.

Ex-combatant couples

The counselling programme was designed in partnership with the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition, Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare, and many Non Governmental Organisations engaged in the field. This was intended to correct the mind-set of the ex-combatants and affect attitudinal change. Much effort was taken to enable them to develop their personalities as individuals.

A lot of attention was paid to the reunification of families, with married ex-combatants being given the opportunity to re-join their spouses, children and parents at special rehabilitation centres called ‘Peace Villages’. This enabled many beneficiaries to continue their rehabilitation without any disruption to their family life. A mass marriage ceremony was held in June 2010, where 53 ex-combatant couples were formally given in marriage with the consent of their parents and families. The marriages were conducted per religious customs and traditions, and many parents and well-wishers attended the ceremony. A special Protective Accommodation and Rehabilitation Centre was established at Kaithady in Jaffna to cater to the reunification of married beneficiaries as well.

A special programme for ‘catch up education’ was provided in collaboration with the Education Department for young adults who opted for the programme. Under this, 361 students sat for the GCE Advanced Level examination in 2010. 222 of these students passed this exam. In 2011, 304 students sat for the Advanced Level examination, of whom 43 became eligible for university admission. 166 students sat for the GCE Ordinary Level examination in 2010, of whom 91 passed, and 77 students sat for the same exam in 2011.

To be continued