Over 275,000 children affected in Sri Lanka following devastating cyclone
COLOMBO – Over 275,000 children across Sri Lanka have been affected by Cyclone Ditwah and are facing an escalating humanitarian crisis, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Sri Lanka, said on Tuesday (2), noting that the numbers are from an initial estimate and that disrupted communications and blocked access routes imply the actual number may be even higher.
Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on the East Coast early on Friday (Nov 28), causing widespread floods and devastating landslides, affecting over 1.5 million people across the country.
Emma Brigham, UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the UN body remains deeply concerned about the destruction the cyclone has caused to children and the vital services they depend on for their safety and well-being. “We stand in solidarity with families who have suffered losses and displacement and extend our deepest condolences to those mourning loved ones,” she said, adding that children urgently need help and that it was a race against time to reach the most vulnerable families who direly require lifesaving services.
Brigham also cautioned that while the cyclone may have passed, the consequences have not.
The severe damage to homes and vital infrastructure, along with the disruption of essential services, has caused widespread displacement and increases the risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, unsafe living conditions, and severe emotional distress among children, the statement said, cautioning that the cyclone will only deepen the struggles of Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable communities, who are still reeling from successive shocks, including the 2022 economic crisis.
It highlighted the World Bank 2025 report, which said poverty has more than doubled since 2019, rising from 11.3% to 24.5%, placing basic needs increasingly out of reach and rendering life unaffordable for millions.
UNICEF Sri Lanka said it is coordinating closely with the government, national authorities, and partners to assess the situation and that it has initiated life-saving support.
To respond to the urgent needs of children and families in the hardest-hit districts, UNICEF is also scaling up its efforts and appealing for additional funding to provide clean drinking water, essential nutrition supplies, psychosocial support, and emergency education kits to displaced children and mothers who need them most, the statement added.
-ENCL
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