From chaos to caring

Sri Lanka is a country wracked by both political and natural disaster. Removing families from the eye of the storm is the first step toward recovery. But once they are in a safer environment, we then help parents and children regain self-sufficiency and sustainability and also work to empower the country’s youth to emerge as Sri Lanka's next leaders.

The best route to safety and normalcy amidst chaos are Child Centered Spaces (CCSs). Places where children can go to play and learn, CCSs use structured activities and psychosocial support to help transition children back into the formal education system. In Sri Lanka, these safe spaces are being implemented in tsunami-affected areas and areas of conflict in the eastern part of the country. 

CCSs aren’t our only avenue of reaching children. We also provide education, sports, health, nutrition, cultural and environmental programs to more than 1,100 children in youth clubs. And we work with preschool teachers so they may inspire learning. We also train them on everything from handling children’s psychological concerns to the appropriate use of indoor play items and first aid. In fact, Eastern University in Ampara offers a course for preschool teachers, which is tailored to our ECD program.

We also help give children a better shot at life by educating their mothers about health and nutrition.  Some mothers don’t know to feed their babies at night; others aren’t aware of the proper foods to feed their children. We’ve trained more than 450 women as “lead mothers.”  This includes teaching these mothers about proper nutrition, personal hygiene and care of their children when they become sick. 

"I use these new techniques with my children, and I am proud to say my second baby has good growth and health.  I know it is my responsibility to take my children to the clinic and ensure they are immunized.  I thank [ChildFund] for helping me keep my children healthy.” –Chandra, mother

So that families can grow their own fruits and vegetables at home, we have distributed more than 2,500 gardening kits containing tools, mango and lime seedlings, six types of vegetable seeds and fertilizer. We also conduct nutrition counseling as part of Early Childhood Development programs in Anuradapura, Puttalam and Nuwara Eliya. Community Health Centers, which double as community centers, give the people of Sri Lanka a place to go for medical advice and vaccinations for infants.

Restoring calm

After the tsunami battered Sri Lanka’s coast, many families were left without access to safe water and sanitation. We’ve stepped in with safe water storage containers for 3,000 families, connected many houses to water distribution systems and provided rainwater harvesting tanks to families living in dry areas of Hambantota District. 

In 40 Child Friendly Schools in Ampara, Batticaloa Hambantota districts, we’ve promoted sanitation and hygiene through the construction of water and sanitation facilities, teaching both students and teachers proper hygiene and even organizing health clubs to spread the message. Our sanitation and hygiene program is supported by hygiene education software in schools. 

In the wake of the storm, it’s important that people have new methods of generating income. Our Sustainable Livelihood Program in Sri Lanka gives marginalized and vulnerable families access to business development services and uses a direct lending system as an alternative to the credit system.  To gain new skills to maximize chances of finding work, we offer career guidance and vocational training programs on a variety of career paths, such as information technology, fabric-painting, dress-making, motor mechanics and management. 

For children to recover, they must first be protected. Our child protection policy safeguards children from discrimination, harassment, exploitation, prostitution and sex trafficking, child abuse and neglect.  We even have a child protection diploma program for Child Rights Promotion Officers, who assist children who lost one or both parents in the tsunami.

"Children First," a program which was launched in April 2007, is helping give children a voice in their own safety. More than 30 community based organizations and Children’s Societies, including three child advisory committees comprised of elected child leaders, are working within this program to advocate for child protection and child rights issues. “Children First” is expected to gain cooperation from government officials and other non-governmental organizations.

We’re helping Sri Lanka put the storm behind them so they can rebuild their lives. Help this country see a brighter day.