New: Sri Lanka

Nourish, establish and change

Pictures: Child Action Lanka

Update March 2024

Child Action Lanka sent us a midterm project report for the project cycle 2024/25, stating that 20,000 USD (10,000 USD funded by BGR and the remaining 10,000 USD funded by MiA) were spent on 

  • Providing school necessities to 400 children from underprivileged families in three districts.
  • Continuing the BGR-funded feeding program in Kandy, Batticaloa, Galle, Nuwara Eliya, Colombo, and Kilinochchi.
  • Offering nutritious meals to 30 special needs children at the CAL Special Needs Centre.

Additionally we received these two reports:

 

Success Story: Shehan

Shehan Sandakel, a 25-year-old with global developmental delay and a mental disorder, has faced many challenges throughout his life. He is the only child of elderly parents who are over 60 years old. With limited income from their small tea plantation and government welfare programs, his family often struggles to meet their basic needs.

 

Shehan’s difficulties worsened when he went through a period of depression, requiring regular medication from the local government hospital. Although the medication helps manage his condition, it leaves him physically weak, adding to his struggles.

 

Two years ago, Shehan joined the Child Action Lanka (CAL) Gampola Special Needs Child Development Centre. This was a significant turning point in his life. The centre provides a safe and caring environment where he feels included and supported. One of the most important aspects of Shehan’s experience at the centre is the nutritious meals provided through the feeding program, funded by BGR and MiA since his arrival. These meals have made a substantial difference in his life, filling a critical gap by providing the nutrition he cannot always get at home.

For individuals with special needs like Shehan, proper nutrition is essential. It enhances physical strength, stabilizes mood, and provides the energy needed to participate in daily activities. For Shehan, these meals have not only made him physically stronger but have also helped him feel happier and more confident. With better nutrition, he has been able to engage in activities at the centre, make friends, and feel a sense of belonging.

 

Shehan’s story demonstrates how something as simple as regular nutritious meals can transform lives. On behalf of Shehan and others like him, we sincerely thank Buddhist Global Relief and Mitgefühl in Aktion for your unwavering support. For two years, your generosity has provided more than just food for over 30 special needs individuals —it has brought hope, care, and a better quality of life to some of the most vulnerable individuals in our community. Your kindness has truly made a difference

 

Success story: Jeewan and Asitha

Jeewan is the fourth child of a seven-member family that has always lived on the streets of Kandy, struggling with poverty and instability. His younger brother, Asitha, has been under the care of Child Action Lanka (CAL) since he was six months old due to severe medical conditions. Unlike Jeewan, who suffers from a vision problem linked to his mother's alcoholism during pregnancy, Asitha was born with meningomyelocele—a severe birth defect affecting the spinal canal. This condition left Asitha with no control over his bowel movements or urine and crippled legs, making his life exceptionally challenging.

 

Asitha’s story was shared with Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) as a testimony to the life-changing impact of your support in one of the progress reports. Born into a life of extreme hardship, Asitha faced overwhelming medical and social challenges. Yet, with the compassionate assistance from our donors and partners, including BGR and MiA, he was provided shelter, medical care, and education through the CAL Kandy Centre. Today, Asitha is defying the odds by attending an international school and thriving in an environment filled with hope and encouragement. His story stands as a testament to the transformative power of love and opportunity.

Jeewan, inspired by his younger brother’s courage, is also showing remarkable resili-ence. Although he does not suffer from menin-gomyelocele, his journey has been filled with challenges. This year, Jeewan received school uniforms through the generosity of BGR and MiA, ensuring he could attend school with dig-nity and confidence.

 

This contribution was especially meaningful, as three years ago, Jeewan was also a benefi-ciary of the BGR feeding program, which provi-ded essential nutrition during a critical period in his life. 

 

Growing up in an environment filled with uncer-tainty, Jeewan’s access to education and nutri-tious meals has been transformative. It has not only improved his physical well-being but also inspired hope for a better future. His story is one of perseverance and courage, highlighting the profound im-pact of your support.

 

On behalf of Jeewan, Asitha, and many other children facing severe vulnerabilities, we express our heartfelt gratitude to Buddhist Global Relief and Mitgefühl in Aktion. Your generous support has brought hope and stability to those who need it the most. We also deeply appreciate your particular interest and willingness to contribute to the Residential Care Centre/shelter home during the next funding cycle, which provides a safe place for homeless, displaced, and at-risk children. Your compassion and commitment continue to change lives, creating a brighter future for our community’s most vulnerable members.

First report 2024

We are funding this wonderful project of Child Action Lanka for the first time in the project period starting July 2024 to the end of June 2025 together with BGR, with $10,000 US each and are very happy about it.

 

Since 2019, Sri Lanka has been suffering a whole series of crises that have driven the country into a deep socio-economic crisis. Mismanagement and corruption have also contributed to the fact that the country has slipped into insolvency and an inflation rate of 50% was recorded last year. The rising prices and growing unemployment due to a shrinking economy are of course also hitting the poorest there. The proportion of the population below the poverty line has increased to 25 percent last year and thus almost doubled. According to estimates by the World Bank, it could even rise to 27.4 percent this year.

 

Our funding flows into three different projects. The first is dedicated to providing school supplies for 400 children from needy families in three districts of Sri Lanka. There is now often a lack of money for writing materials, which leads to school expulsions or school dropouts and thus will further accelerate the poverty spiral. The aim of this measure is to reduce the school dropout rate among beneficiaries to close to zero.

 

In the second project, 220 preschool children receive permanent access to nourishing meals in order to sustainably strengthen their health, education and future prospects. BGR has already been supporting this activity for three years and next year access will be expanded from four to six districts of Sri Lanka.

 

Child Action Lanka has also founded a center for children with special needs in the Candy district. This is about ensuring consistent support and providing nutritious meals in the third project we support. The individual needs of these children are specifically addressed, so that the financial burdens for their families are reduced.

 

Our project sponsor for this project, Manfred Wierich, is planning a visit to our project partners in Sri Lanka next year to get an idea of the wonderful work on site and to deepen the contacts.

 

Text: Simpert Würfl

A Visit to Child Action Lanka

by Manfred Wierich, Project Lead for Sri Lanka

In July 2024 I had the opportunity to visit Child Action Lanka in both Galle and Kandy in the morning when the preschool kids had just arrived.

 

CAL's director, Dilshan, who I met in Galle, and Mevan, the center head in Kandy, acquainted me with some basic facts: CAL was founded by Dilshan and his wife Debbie in Kandy in 2006 in the basement of a church with a focus on street children. Since then CAL has expanded into 10 locations all over Sri Lanka where about 60 different projects are run. As of 2024, about 2,200 children are served. The main focuses are education, health and nutrition, child protection and community sustainability.

 

MIA's and BGR's combined donations for  the 2024/25 project cycle make it possible to provide meals for 225 days for 30 special-needs children in Gampola near Kandy, meals for 220 preschool children in five locations, including those in Galle and Kandy, and 400 school uniforms,  stationary or shoes (to be decided in the beginning of 2025, according to what the majority of the children need).

CAL Galle

When I arrive at about 8 A.M., the children are having a warmup session and I get two flowers as a welcome. I ask whether I may use my camera and after getting permission I start to take some photos and video clips.

 

The preschool in Galle runs on weekdays and is presently visited by 15-20 children aging 2 1/2 years and older, mostly from the fishing community.

 

Also preschool children get trained in English in order to prepare them for a successful career in school. In Sri Lanka classes are in English, at least in the higher levels. There is also an after-school project where about 100 children after their visit to school get lunch after going to school and get help with subjects which they find hard. Mostly they are back benchers, slow learners or exposed to drugs or sex-tourism. Many kids have single parents, or stay with their grand-parents because their parents work overseas. The visit to CAL, including the meals, the uniforms and stationary is free, which is not the case in state-run preschools and schools.

 

There is a computer room where the older children can get certified in the Microsoft Office suite, and which is open to the public in the afternoon. There is also an area with sewing machines where mothers can learn to sew with their children nearby. They can pay for the sewing machines with what they produce and then take the machines home. This is part of the W.R.A.P.-project, Women Rising Above Poverty.

 

Also present is Ines, a volunteer from Germany who has been with CAL for 6 years now and agrees to be interviewed.

 

I get the impression that this place is very well run and the children are very well cared for. Everybody is following the daily routine and knows their role.

 

When I drive back to my hotel, I talk to my friend and driver Gihan who had been nosing around a little with neighbors, the watchman, arriving parents and one of his friends living in the vicinity. None of them reported anything unfavorable about CAL.

 

CAL Galle. Chicken curry for lunch is under way. The computer room. Pictures: Manfred Wierich

CAL Kandy

CAL Kandy's setup and programme is very similar to the Galle facility, except there also is a créche for the youngest.  15 infants and toddlers, 25 to 30 preschool children and about 80 after-school children come here. There is a new building with classrooms donated by the Japanese government, equipped with computers, a smart board and a library. On the roof there is a small potted-plant garden.

 

After being shown around and briefed by Mevan, the Centre Manager, I get invited to breakfast. When I arrive in the dining hall, the children are already waiting and meals are distributed by the employees. When everybody has been served, the children count to ten in English, thank the donors (as they do in every CAL location) and start having breakfast. Today its string hoppers (rice vermicelli) with Dhal and an egg, followed by fruit. After breakfast the children are in for an English lesson. 

 

CAL Kandy. The Créche in Kandy. Pictures: Manfred Wierich

Summary

I found that the children are very well cared for in both centers I visited. The centers are well maintained, tidy and clean, the employees are childcare professionals. CAL's organizational size makes it a convenient partner for MIA, as  it is small enough to maintain personal relations without any red tape problems, but big enough to work in a professional way. The fact that CAL was able to apply for and get granted the annex in Kandy shows that it is an organization that can handle projects.

 

In both Galle and Kandy I felt welcome and found an open atmosphere. CAL understands that personal contact is important for donors in order to verify where the donations go.

 

To the above, please see the clip: