INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
At least 5.7 million people (26% of the population) in Sri Lanka require humanitarian assistance at the moment, the International Federation
fragility of systems, services and facilities, this number will multiply and the consequences will deepen, the IFRC in its Needs Assessment
Report for October 2022.The IFRC said the Covid-19 pandemic and other external factors, a weakened tourism sector and a fiscal deficit
resulted in the depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee
The government defaulted on debt payments in May 2022 and became unable to import necessities such as fuel, and inflation rates spiked,
pointed out, adding that access and availability of basic services such as education and healthcare including hospital maternity care and
sexual - reproductive health services have also been disrupted.Notably, in addition to the impact on education, child protection risks have
also risen, the IFRC noted.Meanwhile, a serious decline in domestic agricultural output brought on by an unsuccessful agricultural
transition to organic farming has deepened the crisis, the IFRC added.If the critically damaged systems, services and facilities (crucially,
the agriculture and fishing, health and social care, and education sectors) are not urgently restored, those who are already vulnerable are
employing negative coping strategies, such as reducing meals, postponing medical care, taking children out of school and employing children
to provide income, and depleting and selling their assets
People are now more often becoming the victims or perpetrators of crime and theft, people are migrating in search of employment, human
impacts of the crisis, primarily in the fields of food security and livelihoods, health and protection, and related areas at the community
level, to help with strategic priorities, in line with the concerns of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (the
Movement).This assessment report includes an analysis and recommendations based on a face-to-face household-level survey of 2,871
respondents in 11 districts across nine provinces, a separate case study of 300 households from 10 estates in Nuwara Eliya, 24 focus group
discussions (FGDs), 15 key informant interviews (KIIs), and an anticipatory analysis, framed by extensive secondary data.The IFRC says that
at the community and family level, the macroeconomic collapse in Sri Lanka has translated into a complex humanitarian emergency, as millions
of people are increasingly suffering, with severe shortages of food, fuel, cooking gas, medicine and other essentials.The assessment found
that household purchasing power is constrained by food inflation and that disruptions to livelihoods and food insecurity have increased,
raising worries about malnutrition.The IFRC noted that people are suffering from poorer health because the healthcare system has become
Household economic stresses have resulted in rising concerns over basic needs and protection for the most vulnerable (such as those already
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://adaderana.lk
