Our Story

OfERR Ceylon was established in May 2004 in Sri Lanka with the goal of preparing for the eventual return of Tamil refugees to their homeland in Sri Lanka, and assisting internally displaced persons affected by the civil war. When the Asian Tsunami struck Sri Lanka on December 26th, 2004, OfERR Ceylon expanded its work to include humanitarian aid to the coastal regions of the country, especially in the East and North.

OfERR Ceylon considers capacity building and empowerment as key elements in achieving its vision of environmentally friendly sustainable development, equal rights, gender equity and social justice among the communities with which it works. At the core of its mandate, OfERR Ceylon aims to:

• Engage and empower refugee returnees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as active participants in their own development.
• Promote equal educational opportunities and enhance the ability of returnees and IDPs to take part in rebuilding their nation.
• Mobilize, liaise and network with NGOs, inter-governmental agencies and the Sri Lankan government to advocate for the protection and rights of IDPs and returnees.
• Improve the health and nutritional status of the most vulnerable IDPs and returnees.
• Create employment and income generating opportunities for beneficiaries.

For the past twenty years (2004 – 2024) OfERR Ceylon has delivered its relief and rehabilitation programs through a network of seven regional offices in Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Jaffna.

How we Started

• OfERR India

OfERR is a non-profit, non-political charitable organization run by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees for refugees. OfERR was founded in 1984 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Its main objective was to assist and provide relief to Tamil refugees who had fled ethnic violence and armed conflict in their homeland in Northern Sri Lanka, and taken refuge in India.

From a small group of seven volunteers in 1984, OfERR India has evolved into an organization of 270 Sri Lankan Tamil refugee volunteers located in four regional offices (Chennai, Trichy, Erode and Tirunelveli).

OfERR India works with over 66,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in 107 camps across Tamil Nadu State and 40 villages in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore district. The organization works in the areas of community building, advocacy, education, women’s empowerment, health and nutrition, capacity building, income generation, documentation, counseling and child protection. It has trained more than 1000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees as grass roots social workers to help deliver its programs.

In December 2004, when the Asian Tsunami devastated the coastal villages of South India, OfERR refugee volunteers went to the rescue of the Indian population. OfERR constructed 3,364 temporary shelters, 53 community centers, repaired 1246 roots, provided solar lighting, smokeless cholas, toilets and water tanks. OfERR also trained 120 Indian tsunami victims as counselors, health workers, women empowerment workers and teachers. OfERR volunteers also carried out psycho-social work with over 60,000 tsunami victims.