Cyclone Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka on 28 November 2025, causing severe flooding and landslides across the country. More than 2 million people have been affected, and thousands of homes as well as critical infrastructure has been destroyed and damaged.
Several hospitals remain flooded or non-functional, significantly limiting access to sexual and reproductive health services, including maternal and neonatal care. As a result, the risks of unassisted births, pregnancy complications, and unmet family planning needs have increased.
Nearly 90,000 people are currently residing in temporary evacuation shelters. Overcrowding, inadequate lighting, lack of privacy, and shared sanitation facilities are heightening the risks of gender-based violence, particularly for adolescent girls, older women, and persons with disabilities.
UNFPA is responding to urgent needs, and has distributed 525 maternity kits, provided cash assistance to 30 pregnant women, and distributed 700 dignity kits to vulnerable women and adolescent girls.
Further scale-up of the response is underway, but donor support is critical. UNFPA is appealing for US$ 8.3 million to ensure access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health services and to strengthen gender-based violence risk mitigation and response efforts for those affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.
