The Hidden Work of Post-Conflict Recovery

Oct 2, 2019 | Jay Lingham and Melissa Johnston
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Sri Lanka 2011. It is two years since a brutal civil war ended, with the UN reporting tens of thousands of civilians killed in the final months of battle, mostly by the state military. In the formerly contested territory in the north-east of the island, a female refugee called Padmagowry (not her real name) has recently been resettled in a new village. It’s not her land; hers is still occupied by the army.

The government does not provide her or her fellow villagers with any ongoing support, so they rely on food packages and small-scale loans from aid agencies. Padmagowry is the breadwinner for her household, with two young children and no husband. She manages the village ‘self-help’ (credit) scheme and works hard to barely get by.