History of the project
Sewalanka Foundation asked Meth Medura Foundation in 2000 to develop a psychosocial trauma project. Since 1983 a devastating civil war is sweeping over Sri Lanka. This causes thousands of internally displaced people, who live in refugee camps or temporary shelters. Sewalanka supports these people to rebuild their lives.
The mental and emotional scars from the war prevent them in finding the courage to start again.
To address this situation a psycho-social trauma-healing program is initiated. Sewalanka asked Meth Medura to adapt the Pansori Approach to the needs of the displaced communities. At first in the borderline villages of the conflict in Vavuniya and Mannar. In this program young people from the different communities are trained in psycho-social skills that they carry back to their community.
In December 2004 the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka violently and Sewalanka responded immediately with emergency care. In January 2005 trainers from Meth Medura engaged in training young people of the Tsunami-affected areas in emergency trauma-healing skills and special children's programs.
The trauma-healing program is now a valuable component of Sewalanka's development work. In 2006 Sewalanka and Meth Medura developed a project that integrates the trauma-work into the village structure.
For this six small rural trauma centers are built that provide different programs for adults and children, both individually and for groups. In each center three professional people and three volunteers are responsible for the programs. Meth Medura takes care of the necessary training.
