311 tsunami orphans live happily with guardians
 

BY NADIRA Gunatilleke

ASSISTANT Probation and Child Care Commissioner E. K. Ariyadasa said 311 children orphaned by the tsunami now living happily and safely with their guardians selected and appointed through court orders.

From the 311 children, 226 are from the North and East and the balance are from the South, he added.

Ariyadasa said the Probation and Child Care Services Department is in the process of obtaining more court orders for the rest of the orphans through Provincial Probation and Child Care Officers.

The total number of tsunami orphans are around 1074, and this figure keeps changing slightly due to the re-appearance of a parent or both parents, he said.

'Hope for Children', an NGO has agreed to pay at the rate of Rs.500 for each guardian on the recommendation of probation officers and child rights protection officers (CROPs). In addition to this, educational instruments are also being provided on the recommendation of probation officers and child rights protection officers (CRPOs).

Probation officers are expected to visit these children once a month and supervise their health, education and protection. This supervision will be done initially for three years and the monitoring period will be extended according to requirements, he added.

Explaining the program's success, Ariyadasa said the children live happily and safely because the program enables them to live in their familiar environment with relations.

Not separating orphans from their familiar environment and relations has helped to ensure their psychological safety which is one of the vital requirement, he said.