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Hands in Relief, Eyes on Development: Challenges and Community Responses in the Delivery of Humanitarian Aid in Conflict Affected and Tsunami Ravaged Districts in Northern Sri Lanka

This paper attempts to provide both a visual and written commentary of the post-Tsunami health and community-driven recovery strategies within conflict affected zones in Northern Sri Lanka. It explores examples of the impact of unsolicited, culturally inappropriate and conflict insensitive interventions initiated by both local and international teams, and how displaced communities attempted to mitigate the effects of inequitable aid practices. Though challenging, engaging communities early in the recovery process becomes necessary in order to reduce vulnerability and prevent ‘aid-mediated’ communal tensions. Hence the dictum ‘hands in relief, eyes on ‘development” applies for post-disaster interventions. Asia Pac J Public Health 2007; 19(Special Issue): 25–34.