Relief Aid for Coronavirus Lockdown affected.

Update:

Hi All;

Curfew in Srilanka was lifted on the morning of 20th of April. We have stopped the Emergency fundraising since we hope normality will return gradually. We will continue to deliver the remaining stock to those who are affected and need the support little further to return to normality. 

Thank you to everyone who supported this emergency action to offer support for those who are in need. once again, on behave of all those who were able to survive the lockdown through your support -  a Great Big Thank you!

We will provide the full Aid delivery statics once all aid activity is done and accounted. 

Stay Safe.
Disaster Relief Aid Team

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Coronavirus - Covid19 & Lockdown

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and speed of the virus spread almost 1/3 of the total global population has been put in lockdown.

Sri Lankan civil war, which greatly devastated North and East of Sri Lanka for more than 3 decades, has left behind many thousands of families living under the poverty line and lacking the basic facilities.  Most of these families have either lost someone or have relatives who were disabled by the war.

Social distancing / Lockdown / Curfew has brought great financial burden on the families, who survived marginally on daily manual labour. Emergency rations urgently need to be provided for these families who are unable to purchase food and essentials.  

The wholesale price of rice, lentils and hygiene supplies have already increased by nearly 10-25 % in a few days. The village small shops normally do not hold big stocks and rely heavily on regular small stock purchase from wholesalers on a daily basis. The wholesale price increase will push the retail price up sharply and will price out the cash trapped populations from buying essentials; increasing the need for more emergency aid.


Emergency Ration Packs - Family sized. 
Each ration pack includes rice, flour, lentil or soya, tea, sugar and hygiene products. The average cost of the essential is fluctuating greatly on a daily basis since the stocks are dwindling at wholesalers, hence the protein source and the hygiene product are altered based on the availability and costs. 

The districts of Sri Lanka are divided into administrative subunits known as divisional secretariats. The divisions are administered by a 'Divisional Secretary', and are known as a 'D.S. Divisions'.  Based on the available data, lists of recipients are generated by the DS offices. Based on these lists, the Disaster Relief Team will deliver the aid. 


Volunteer Disaster Relief Aid Team. 
During the time of need, the staff at IBC Tamil, who are normally producers, cameramen, editors, journalists, SMM, Operation & Support staff; volunteers to form a "Disaster Relief Aid Team" to deliver urgent rations to those affected. Along with the in-house team of volunteers, external volunteers also join to help the needy. This voluntary group of "superhumans", regularly brazes harsh environment & situations to venture out and offer help to those in urgent need. IBC Tamil is the media network for Tamils around the world. 


Supply Chain
The Disaster Relief Aid Team is working directly with a handful of wholesalers and suppliers in each district to procure the rations at the lowest price possible.  Rations are bought in bulk and delivered.  A team of volunteers portions these bulk deliveries into family-sized portions ready for delivery.  Another team of volunteers, who have special permission to travel through the curfew deliver the packs to the families in their localities. 


Aid operations & Fund management 
Since the bulk of the aid team is made up of in-house volunteers, official team hierarchy and structures (where applicable)are maintained within the relief aid team also. The team is lead by Global Operations head based in London, and Relief Operations head based in Srilanka. local teams are lead by Team Leaders.

The emergency ration initiative was started with initial fund allocation from IBC Tamil's Chairman's Aid fund. Due to the scale of aid requirement, Gofundme campaign was launched. 

Gofundme campaign is being coordinated and managed by volunteers from IBC Tamil. The fund raised in Gofundme campaign will be withdrawn and transferred to each district's team based on aid requirement.  Locally the fund will be managed by the AR & AP team members of IBC Tamil, who have also volunteered to be part of the Disaster Relief Aid Team. A full summary of the audited accounts will be published.  

"Disaster Relief Aid Team" is urgently requesting help from the global community and Tamil diaspora.