AHRC’s Humanitarian Response, Disaster Recovery and Community Support Following Cyclone Ditwah

December 2025 | Trincomalee District and Eastern Province

The AHAM Humanitarian Resource Center (AHRC) continued its humanitarian and community-based work in the Eastern Province during December 2025, responding to the widespread impact of Cyclone Ditwah while also supporting early recovery, education, community needs assessments, and longer-term land rights initiatives.

The cyclone caused significant disruption to communities across the region, with families, schools, and livelihoods affected by flooding and related impacts. In response, AHRC worked with civil society partners, government authorities, and humanitarian networks to identify urgent needs and provide assistance to affected communities.

The organization’s response during December 2025 included emergency relief, joint needs assessments, assistance to returning families, support for flood-affected schools, and community-level engagement through the Solidarity for Land project.

7 December 2025 – Emergency Humanitarian Assistance to Cyclone-Affected Communities

Following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, AHRC joined its partner organizations in providing humanitarian assistance to people affected by the disaster.

On 7 December 2025, AHRC reported that communities had been severely affected by the cyclone and that relief assistance provided by partner organizations had offered important support to affected families. Recognizing the impact experienced by communities in areas where AHRC operates in Trincomalee District, the organization also worked with its partners to distribute dry food packages to people affected by the disaster.

The emergency assistance was intended to address immediate household needs at a critical period following the cyclone, when many families were dealing with damaged homes, disrupted livelihoods, flooding, and difficulties accessing basic necessities.

AHRC’s involvement reflected its commitment to ensuring that humanitarian assistance reached communities experiencing hardship and that local needs were addressed through coordinated action with partner organizations.

 

 

10 December 2025 – Joint Rapid Needs Assessment in Thambalagamam and Kantalai

As part of the continuing humanitarian response, AHRC participated in a Joint Rapid Needs Assessment to collect information on the situation of communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah.

On 10 December 2025, field-level assessments were conducted in the Thambalagamam and Kantalai areas of Trincomalee District. AHRC worked alongside PCCJ, Civil Amayam, and SLRC to collect data and assess the needs of affected communities.

The activity formed part of Phase 2 of the Cyclone Ditwah Joint Rapid Needs Assessment, which was being conducted nationally under the direction of the Ministry of Defence and the guidance of the Disaster Management Centre.

The assessment focused on gathering information directly from affected communities and identifying their needs following the disaster. Such field-level information was important for understanding the challenges faced by families and for informing humanitarian and recovery interventions.

AHRC’s participation demonstrated the organization's role not only in delivering assistance but also in contributing to coordinated information gathering and needs-based humanitarian planning.

 

 

12 December 2025 – Support for the Recovery of 36 Flood-Affected Schools

Cyclone Ditwah and subsequent flooding also had a serious impact on educational facilities in the Trincomalee District.

On 12 December 2025, cleaning and sanitation kits were provided to 36 schools affected by floodwater in the Muttur and Verugal divisions, which are part of the Muttur Education Zone.

The assistance was intended to support the immediate restoration of safe and hygienic learning environments and enable schools to prepare for reopening following the disaster.

The cleaning kits were distributed at two locations:

• Muttur schools: Muttur Zonal Education Office
• Verugal schools: Verugal Pradeshiya Sabha

The support was provided following a request from the Zonal Director of Education and was implemented as part of the Solidarity for Land project, jointly carried out by AHRC and PCCJ in collaboration with the VRIDDHI Network, with financial support from UNOPS.

The distribution was attended by the UNOPS Project Manager, UNOPS Project Officer, Zonal Director of Education, Chairman of the Verugal Pradeshiya Sabha, and representatives and staff of AHRC and PCCJ.

With schools preparing to resume educational activities, the provision of cleaning and sanitation materials represented an important contribution to restoring learning spaces affected by floodwater. AHRC and its partners expressed their appreciation to the VRIDDHI Network and UNOPS for their timely support to the school communities.

December 2025 – Shelter and Non-Food Assistance to 250 Returning Families

As part of the wider disaster response, CORE shelter and Non-Food Item (NFI) packages were provided to 250 families who had returned from some of the most severely affected relief camps in the Kinniya, Muttur, and Verugal areas of Trincomalee District.

The assistance was designed to support families during the early recovery phase, helping households address essential needs as they returned to their communities following displacement caused by the disaster.

The relief supplies for affected communities in Trincomalee arrived through China Bay Airport as part of a United States humanitarian airlift. This enabled humanitarian supplies to reach some of the more remote and vulnerable communities affected by the disaster more quickly.

The response was supported by Australian Aid, UK Aid, and UNOPS and implemented through partner organizations of the VRIDDHI Network, including AHRC, People Service Council (PSC), and Voluntary Organization for Vulnerable Community Development (VOVCOD). The assistance was coordinated closely with the Divisional Secretariats of Kinniya, Muttur, and Verugal.

The distribution was divided among the participating organizations:

• PSC: 50 families in Kinniya
• VOVCOD: 100 families in Muttur
• AHRC: 100 families in Verugal

Through this coordinated approach, the three organizations collectively supported 250 disaster-affected families during their early recovery.

The distribution activities were attended by UNOPS representatives, officials from the respective Divisional Secretariats, and representatives and officers of AHRC, PSC, and VOVCOD.

15 December 2025 – Community Engagement under the Solidarity for Land Project

While responding to the immediate humanitarian consequences of Cyclone Ditwah, AHRC also continued its longer-term community and land rights work.

On 15 December 2025, project orientation discussions were successfully conducted in selected villages across Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Ampara districts under the Solidarity for Land project.

The discussions were jointly organized by AHRC and PCCJ with the objective of supporting communities affected by land grabbing and strengthening their understanding of land-related rights and community concerns.

The Solidarity for Land project is implemented with financial support from UNOPS and in collaboration with the VRIDDHI Network. As part of the initial activities, AHRC and PCCJ conducted introductory discussions in selected villages of the Eastern Province to explain:

• the objectives of the project;
• the importance of the initiative;
• the activities planned under the project; and
• the ways in which communities would be engaged in the process.

These discussions provided community members with an opportunity to understand the project and engage directly with AHRC and PCCJ representatives. The meetings were conducted in different locations during the preceding week by officials from both organizations.

The continuation of this work alongside humanitarian assistance reflects AHRC’s broader approach of combining immediate support with longer-term efforts to strengthen community participation and protect the rights of communities affected by land-related challenges.

A Coordinated Humanitarian and Community-Based Response

AHRC’s activities throughout December 2025 demonstrate a response that extended beyond immediate emergency relief. The organization contributed to needs assessment, emergency food assistance, shelter and non-food item support, school recovery, and community engagement.

The response also highlighted the importance of partnerships. AHRC worked alongside PCCJ, Civil Amayam, SLRC, PSC, VOVCOD, the VRIDDHI Network, UNOPS, and relevant government authorities in different components of the response.

From the initial provision of dry food assistance following the cyclone, through field-level needs assessments, support to returning families, and the restoration of flood-affected schools, AHRC remained engaged with communities facing the consequences of Cyclone Ditwah.

At the same time, the continuation of the Solidarity for Land project in Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Ampara demonstrated AHRC’s commitment to addressing longer-term community concerns, particularly those related to land grabbing and the protection of community rights.

Looking Beyond Emergency Relief

The experience following Cyclone Ditwah once again highlighted the importance of connecting humanitarian assistance with early recovery and community resilience.

For AHRC, supporting affected communities means responding to immediate needs while also creating opportunities for communities to participate in identifying their priorities, understanding their rights, and contributing to longer-term recovery and development.

Through its work with local communities and partner organizations, AHRC continues to strengthen a community-centered and rights-based approach to humanitarian response in the Eastern Province.

AHRC extends its appreciation to the communities, partner organizations, humanitarian agencies, government authorities, and supporters who contributed to these relief and recovery efforts. Their cooperation and collective action were essential in supporting families, schools, and communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah.