Progress in Sri Lanka: Ruwan's story
4/09/2009
Ruwan is five years old. His father is a fisherman by profession, but evacuated the family from their home in Illupakadavi village in January 2007 when the Sri Lankan Army moved toward them. They have been moving along with their relatives ever since. Nine of them died due to conflict.
However, Ruwan and his family survived and now live in Vavuniya Camp. They are very far from the sea, and the family has lost its livelihood.
As Ruwan told his story, his eyes filled with tears. “I have not still seen a peaceful day in my life-time.”
When we questioned his feelings now, Ruwan said: “Here in camp I enjoy playing. Recently there is a place for our play activities. I attend this place to play, sing and dance. The people who look after us are very nice”.
The place Ruwan talks about is a ChildFund Child-Centred Space. It’s designed to help children recover from traumatic situations such as conflict, and has been made possible with support from caring Kiwis. Children are able to draw pictures (like the one shown above) to express their feelings allowing ChildFund staff to see how well they are coping.
Ruwan’s father is looking forward for a bright future to engage in his traditional fishing work and bring up his children.
