Providing relief to low-income families, children and elders (cared for at homes) is an extremely important and urgent need within the context of the third wave of COVID-19 and the transmission restrictions in Sri Lanka. It is due to this dynamics that GNRC member in Sri Lanka is undertaking an exercise to attend to the underprivileged communities. They are providing food, sanitary material and medication, and sensitizing the wider public on how to stay safe.

Specific attention has been directed to care giving homes for the elderly, child development centers, centers for the disabled and persons with special needs, protected homes for women (women shelters) and probation and rehabilitation centers. This is of course in response to the Government of Sri Lanka’s work order of “support to support at-risk institutions” which works to extend aid to centers. To Sarvodaya, such groups of the community are at times forgotten during humanitarian aid.

22 voluntary and civil organizations, including the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement and PAFFREL Organization, have already stepped forward in response to the crisis, covering all 25 districts of the country. The organizations closely work with the government to provide this assistance. They have also offered their institutional support to help attend to the ill including offering quarantine space, vehicles to ferry the sick, disinfecting the towns and villages, and administering the COVID-19 vaccines.

Drivers and security staff members of organizations that provide voluntary and humanitarian services offer round the clock help. Sarvodaya also supports the training of drivers on the use of Personal Protective Kits (PPE) and patient transportation which is conducted by volunteer experts.