Global Issues

When Information Saves Lives

Engaging Local Media in Humanitarian Crises

CASE STUDY: Internally Displaced Persons — Sri Lanka

Internews Sri Lanka

"Today we finally got something we really needed. Now we can get news and information to help us. Now we won’t be so lost." — Kowsalya Murugaiah, leader of an IDP camp in Eastern Sri Lanka where Internews’ Lifeline project distributed radios and provides news.

THE NEED

The conflict in Sri Lanka has killed an estimated 70,000 people and displaced over 500,000 people since it began 25 years ago. Many people have lost everything, from their houses and rice paddies to their family photos. Thousands have been living in IDP camps for years. They are largely cut off from the news and information that might help them improve their lives.

THE RESPONSE

Internews, which has been working in Sri Lanka since the 2004 Asian tsunami, began its Lifeline project in early 2008 to help displaced Sri Lankans get vital humanitarian information. The local Lifeline team produces a weekly newspaper and broadcasts daily radio programs on national radio stations about services that the government and relief agencies are providing. Lifeline also covers key topics such as how to replace birth certificates that were lost as people fled their homes, or when the next health mobile clinic in their area will take place.

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