Nearly 12,000 people, including about 3,000 children, affected by Cyclone Ditwah will receive vital cash assistance, protection, and psychosocial support under a new €1 million initiative funded by the European Union and implemented by Save the Children. 

Targeting the hardest‑hit central highland districts of Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, and Kandy, the program aims to help thousands of displaced families rebuild their lives with dignity months after Sri Lanka’s worst landslides and flooding in decades. 

According to a statement from Save the Children, the disaster triggered the country’s worst landslides and flooding in decades, affecting over 2.2 million people, claiming hundreds of lives, and devastating livelihoods.

Months later, thousands of families remain displaced, and children continue to experience deep emotional distress alongside severely disrupted household incomes. As the immediate life-saving needs have reduced and the response shifts toward long-term stabilisation, this EU-funded project will help more than 4,000 most vulnerable households, including women and persons with disabilities, rebuild their lives with dignity.

Save the Children states that by combining multi-purpose cash assistance with integrated protection and psychosocial support interventions, the programme allows families to meet immediate priority needs while addressing the broader psychological impacts of the crisis. Community-based emotional support will be delivered through TeamUp, developed by Save the Children and War Child that ensures children can reduce stress, start to feel safe, learn to deal with their emotions and build resilience through play with their peers.

Julian Chellappah, Response Team Lead, Save the Children in Sri Lanka said: “Months after Cyclone Ditwah, families are still struggling not only with financial hardship, but also with the protection risks that come with the prolonged disruption to their lives. Through this EUR 1 million humanitarian investment, EU humanitarian aid is supporting locally grounded recovery efforts that strengthen both immediate assistance and longer-term community resilience. Children in particular are facing uncertainty, distress and instability as they try to recover. This response recognises that recovery must address both immediate economic needs and the safety, wellbeing and protection of children and vulnerable groups.”

By partnering with national civil society organisations, including the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, the Centre for Children’s Happiness, and the Foundation for Innovative Social Development, that have strong community presence, local knowledge and technical expertise, Save the Children aims to address continuing vulnerabilities, reduce protection risks and support affected populations to recover with dignity while strengthening wellbeing, safety and community resilience. With their strong community presence and technical expertise, the EU-funded programme reinforces the importance of locally driven humanitarian action as climate-related shocks place increasing pressure on vulnerable communities across Sri Lanka. (Newswire)

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The centuries-old cultural heritage of Sri Lanka’s indigenous Vedda people has been given a new lease on life with the comprehensive reconstruction of the Vedda Heritage Museum in Dambana. 

According to the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka, the ambitious project, spearheaded by Solidaridad through the European Union (EU) funded Developing Resources and Empowering Communities (DeREC) initiative, represents a groundbreaking approach to cultural preservation and community development.

The Vedda community, recognised as Sri Lanka’s last remaining forest-dwelling indigenous group, has faced mounting economic and environmental pressures in recent years. 

In a statement, the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka said that the museum’s revival addresses these challenges while safeguarding invaluable cultural traditions that span millennia.

Historic Homecoming of Ancestral Artifacts

One of the project’s most significant achievements has been the repatriation of ancestral Vedda skeletal remains and cultural artifacts from the Natural History Museum in Basel, Switzerland. These treasures, some over 300 years old, were originally collected by the Sarasin brothers in the early 18th century and now form the centerpiece of the museum’s renewed exhibitions.

‘This is more than just bringing artifacts home – it’s about reconnecting our community with our ancestors and our identity,’ said Uruwarige Wannila Aththo, Chief of the Vedda community, who played a crucial role in the project’s development.

The repatriation effort involved extensive collaboration between Solidaridad, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, demonstrating the power of international cooperation in cultural preservation.

Multi-Stakeholder Approach Drives Success

The museum’s transformation was achieved through a unique consortium model that brought together diverse stakeholders with a shared vision. 

The collaboration included the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the Foundation of Indigenous Communities, and academic experts from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. (Newswire)

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Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport this morning for a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka. He was welcomed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra.

Minister Sikorski, who also represents Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, is scheduled to hold official discussions today with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

The visit aims to strengthen diplomatic ties and explore enhanced cooperation between Sri Lanka and the European Union. (Newswire)

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Refuting recent reports on a survey on Sri Lanka’s Presidential Election, the European Union (EU) says it has not conducted an election polls survey in Sri Lanka, as has falsely been reported.

The EU’s clarification comes following an increase in fake survey results being spread on social media linked to the Presidential Election which is anticipated to be held in the upcoming months.

Recently, social media posts were shared claiming that a survey by the EU predicts the National People’s Power (NPP) party as the frontrunner in the presidential election, followed by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party.

Investigations by Fact Crescendo, an independent and unbiased fact-checking website, have found that the claims about the EU conducting a survey predicting the NPP as the frontrunner in the presidential election are entirely false. 

In its findings, the fact-checking website also states that there is no official EU survey, and the information circulating on social media and certain web media reports is misleading. (Newswire)

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