SOS Children’s Villages, the world’s largest orphan charity, has offered to provide temporary sanctuary for up to 400 refugee children who were forced to flee the fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the separatist Tamil Tigers.

The effort would be aimed at children who have lost their parents or whose families’ whereabouts is unknown and would bring them to the Nuwara Eliya village south of the battle zone where temporary accommodation could be rented adjacent to the village.

SOS has offered to cater for all their needs – food, water, shelter, medical care, education and the all essential family support. SOS estimates that care would be needed for 3-4 months and then the charity would work to reunite children with their families once the conflict has abated. Children left without parents or extended family able to care for them could be provided with long-term care in an SOS Children’s Village.

SOS Children’s Villages has been working in Sri Lanka since 1980 and cares for over 2,00 children across 34 facilities. SOS implemented a major relief programme after the 2004 Tsunami which devastated coastal region of the country. the programme involved temporary accommodation, the building over 1,000 houses, reconstruction of a school for 1,500 pupils and 14 SOS social centres.

You can adopt a Sri Lankan child with SOS.

SOS is also looking for child sponsors in 122 other countries around the world.