Confidence With Water Classes with Psychosocial intervention with our project partner Terre des Hommes

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Swiss Solidarity

The Swiss Solidarity Foundation is Switzerland's humanitarian solidarity and fund-raising platform. Swiss Solidarity led by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR suisse and also works closely together with the private and print media. Work in the field is carried out by experienced Swiss relief organizations according to precise stipulations. Swiss Solidarity is currently working with over 30 aid organizations.

In the event of a catastrophe, on-the-spot and emergency relief is provided extremely rapidly and without unnecessary bureaucracy: with the tsunami disaster for example, funds were provided before the first donations had been received.

Terre des hommes

Terre Des Hommes has been working in Sri Lanka for 30 years and for 11 years in Batticaloa and Ampara Districts. In both districts, Terre Des Hommes is implementing a Psycho-social Project aimed at protecting children affected by the Tsunami and armed conflict. In Batticaloa and Ampara Districts, Terre Des Hommes is also implementing a Mother-Child Health program, covering 150 villages.

Batticaloa and Ampara Project - September 2008 (ongoing)

Sri Lanka has had two major events that have had, and still have, deep and potentially long lasting negative effects. 

The internal armed insurgency of more than 25 years has just, officially, came to an end in June 2009 and nearly five years ago a tsunami hit the island. There is a great need for post conflict resolution and ‘psycho-social’ measures to be instigated and carried through so that the coastal inhabitants of the North and East of the island can have a better future. The different elements of the communities - Tamil, Muslim and Singhalese – need help to overcome the interethnic rivalry and mistrust that has built up since independence in 1948 and been exacerbated by the LTTE war for independence.

The impact of the Tsunami was devastating along a narrow coastal belt but the ripple effect of the destruction affected the rest of the nation. After five years of relief, rehabilitation and recovery, most children and youth along the coastal belts are still experiencing fears, insecurity, anxiety, and are afraid of the successive collapse of the peace process.

The project is focusing on community and family support aiming at recovering from the impact of the 25 year conflict and the Tsunami, and improvement of resilience related to the conflict among children and youth clubs. The objective of the project is that at least 8,000 children and adolescents from war affected and Tsunami communities in Batticaloa and Ampara districts of Sri Lanka will have an increased sense of self-esteem, and show a higher level of resilience towards future disaster and threats.

The objective will be achieved by focusing on two main intervention axes, namely

• SwimLanka’s ‘Confidence-With-Water’ and ‘Confidence-In-Open-Water’ swimming activities targeting 8,000 children using recreational activities, sports, counseling and knowledge sharing. 
• The organisational set up of swimming clubs at each natural location.
• .Explored linkages with government initiatives to form a network of coastal villages containing first-aiders, strong swimmers and potential lifeguards.

Although the project primarily focuses on children between the ages of 6-12, our second stage classes focus on providing safe natural locations where children, youths and adults can learn to swim for free.

Regular play activities for children are supported by training and supervision of the coaches on a monthly basis. In addition, events are set up  for the children, such as children’s day, cultural programs, exhibition of paintings, sport events and competitions, and confidence - with - water trainings. The swim coaches also organise regular recreation, sports activities for the children of the communities.

Besides those recreational activities the swim coaches organise community events such as children group sessions and family discussions, in order to talk about their fear of the ocean in order to stimulate better self-confidence, self-assurance, self-respect, and to explore opportunities for greater freedom.

In order to involve the communities from the beginning, the project continues to organise meetings with community elders, parents, existing youth clubs, children and local NGOs to plan how recreation, games and sport activities for their children can be best implemented. The need to take care of adults as well as children is being proven by recent studies in psycho-social projects which clearly show that they suffer from the same effects of trauma, as children and sometimes even more.

‘bringing swimming as a sport, life skill and community building activity to the children, youth and adults of Sri Lanka’