Once again this May, Sri Lanka was hit by severe weather that has caused widespread flooding and deadly landslides. It has affected over half a million people in 7 districts, namely Gampaha, Galle, Hambantota, Kalutara, Kegalle, Matara and Ratnapura.

Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) prepositioned funds is being used by the IPPF Sprint initiative, in partnership with FPA Sri Lanka to respond to this catastrophe. 700 + dignity kits were delivered to the Divisional Secretariats of Elapatha and Kalawana in the Ratnapura District which were accepted by the respective Divisional Secretaries on behalf of the Government.To provide further care and support, a series of medical camps will be organized in the coming weeks.

SPRINT refers to the Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme in Crisis and Post-Crisis Situations. SPRINT was designed to address gaps in the implementation of The Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health which is a set of priority activities to be implemented at the onset of an emergency and in this case internally displaced persons. The SPRINT Initiative is all about ensuring access to essential life-saving SRH services at a time when services are most needed, whilst it is prioritized and recognized by all key humanitarian responders.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by conflict, war, natural disasters and other humanitarian emergencies. They frequently experience sexual violence, unwanted pregnancies and are vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections. Although critical, the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls in humanitarian settings are often overlooked.

FPA Sri Lanka, due to its ongoing collaboration with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Disaster Management Centre and the district MoHs, is continuously working to strengthen the protection and promotion of rights of all children, women and marginalized communities at all levels when implementing response activities.