Returning Home; Supporting Conflict Affected People through Housing

In May 2009, three decades of conflict came to end in Sri Lanka. While the entire country had suffered as a result, districts in the North and East were devastated. Families were displaced on multiple occasions, compelled to leave their homes for many years. When people eventually returned to their villages, most of their houses had been either badly damaged or completely destroyed. As the majority of people affected were relatively poor with marginal incomes and little or no savings, they were unable to sustain major financial shocks, especially the loss of livelihoods and housing.

Through a series of photographs taken by UN-Habitat and SDC staff members during the implementation of the project, this publication documents the stories of courage, resilience and recovery of a cross section of the homeowners who have successfully reconstructed their homes.