01/05/2026
Sri Lanka suffered a devastating blow from Cyclone Ditwah on November 27th. Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe, OMNIA's National Coordinator in Sri Lanka invites you to an Accompaniment Circle on Sri Lanka where we will listen to the stories, and strategize about how all of us can help rebuild. This will be on Thursday, January 8th, 8:00 -- 9:30 a.m. (US/Canada Central Standard Time).
Please click the link to register. Zoom will send you a meeting link.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Gwok8uijTBy0fkS_IOxz1A
Here's a portion of the Bishop's letter:
"More than 2.3 million people drawn from all 25 districts of Sri Lanka were affected by the cyclone. At one stage over 230,000 people were sheltered in over 1400 safety centres. Those numbers have now dropped, since some have returned to their homes or moved elsewhere, but the number of refugee camps and people remaining in them is still very high.
Roads were washed away, bridges collapsed or were twisted out of shape, railway lines were hanging in the air, houses were destroyed, washed away or covered in mud, reservoirs overflowed and the physical damage was extensive. Rain and landslides continued into December, and life almost came to a standstill. At least 647 people have died, more than 200 still remain missing. More than 5,000 homes were completely destroyed with another 86,000 partly damaged.
The damage to agriculture was extensive, with fertile lands now either washed away or covered with rock, mixed with heavy soil. Homes are lost with family belongings. Schools did not open and parents have lost their livelihoods. Water and electricity were interrupted and in some places have not yet restored. Malnutrition is looming over, as is the possibility of outbreaks of disease. The list continues to be endless.
Our Home Gardening Program created during the pandemic, which enabled our poor and marginalized communities, especially in the plantation sector grow their own food, and supplement their income by selling excess produce was completely destroyed and now has to be rebuilt from scratch.
At the top of our priority list is the restoration of this program. This is a matter of livelihood. Villagers will need fresh land preparation, seeds and tender plants in addition to training in Agriculture, to start over. I look forward to working with our Climate Justice Working Group, to get expert advice on sustaining their cultivation, even amidst natural disasters.
On behalf of all those affected, bereaved families and those undergoing trauma, we invite you to journey with us to alleviate fear, hopelessness and uncertainty in the minds of those affected. We hope to engage in long-term restoration and rehabilitation of physical structures as well as facilitating the return of our fellow sisters and brothers back on their feet.
Please join us for an Accompaniment Circle on Sri Lanka on Thursday, January 8th where we will learn about the situation on the ground from local experts and think about how we can respond."
