Announcing the T10 Summit of Sri Lanka Red Cross

01/09/2014 – Colombo, Sri Lanka: Today we are announcing the “T10 Summit” which will be held in view of the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami that swept across the island. 

A decade is passing since the great Indian Ocean Tsunami tragedy in 2004, which swept through coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand, India and nine other Indian Ocean countries. Within a less than an hour it Tsunami killed over 35,000 people and displaced more than 500,000 people In Sri Lanka alone. 

The loss of infrastructure, properties and livelihood means were also humongous. The Red Cross & Red Crescent movement swiftly responded in assisting the people trodden by this deadly disaster.

The modestly massive assistance of Sri Lanka Red Cross was only possible due to its Volunteers, Staff, authorities of Government of Sri Lanka, local and international donors and specifically IFRC, ICRC and overwhelming support of Red Cross Red Crescent sister National Societies.

The Red Cross & Red Crescent movement assistance to most vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka was wide-ranging wherein Search & Rescue, Restoring Family Links (RFL), First Aid, Relief, psychosocial support as immediate response and shelter, Infrastructure (health, water, education, etc),disaster management, health & care, water & sanitation, and livelihoods in recovery period covered varied aspects in each sectors.

We firmly believe these assistances triggered huge impact for the most vulnerable communities to leap forward in their recovery efforts. However, it is vital to take stock of what we did in retrospect of lessons learned perspectives. It is also significant to remember the people who died and recognize the people who recovered from this socio-economic trauma.

Also it could be worthwhile to make local and international public aware of the efficiencies and challenges of the services of the Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement due to this disaster.

Further, as such disaster scenarios are gradually aggravating, it is crucial to contemplate on how we could share our views to better prepare ourselves and to enhance the resilience of most vulnerable communities enabling them to absorb the pressures of the adversities and bounce back to normalcy.

Objectives of this summit is…

• To commemorate the lives lost from the tsunami tragedy and recognize the people who recovered from this socio-economic trauma.

• To exhibit to the Local & International public, Governments and other key parties the legacy of the Red Cross Red Crescent movement assisting the most vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka.

• To provide an opportunity to visit and observe best practices and challenges in implementing relevant Tsunami and limited other progammes

• To review fresh strategies taken in Sri Lanka for community resilience building, share lessons learned and building fresh synergies in working together.

The T10 Summit will take place from the 15th – 17th of November 2014 in Sri Lanka. 

Participation for the summit is invitation only. If you are interested in getting to know more information or want to participate please email us at [email protected]