Why children in Sri Lanka need your help

Children are some of the worst affected by the long-running conflict between Tamil separatists and the Sri Lankan government. Thousands of children and families have been displaced and are living in crowded cramps where the facilities are poor and the conditions are dangerous.

Where families have been able to remain in their towns and villages, there is often a lack of food, adequate sanitation and safe drinking water, which leads to waterborne illnesses such as diarrhoea. School attendance is irregular and many children are falling behind in learning even basic skills.

The levels of poverty suffered by many Sri Lankans was made worse following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, destroying homes, farming lands and the livelihoods of fishing communities in many coastal areas of Sri Lanka.

Country facts

Sri Lanka was inhabited late in the 6th century BC by the Sinhalese - probably from northern India. In the 14th century, a southern Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was surrendered to the British in 1796. Independence was gained in 1948 and the name changed from Ceylon to Sri Lanka in 1972.

Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into violence during the mid-1980s. This continued for 26 years, with tens of thousands killed. About 800,000 people - a third of them children - have been displaced, and about one million children are living in areas directly affected by the civil war. One-third of school-aged children in the north have dropped out or have never attended school.

Following the signing of a ceasefire between the government and Tamil rebels in 2002, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees began returning home, where many encountered landmines and unexploded weapons. Violence between the government and Tamil Tigers continued to escalate once again until the war officially ended in May 2009.

• Population: 21.3 million
• Capital: Colombo
• Major languages: Sinhala (official and national language), Tamil (national language)
• Major religions: Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity
• Life expectancy: 71 years