Sri Lanka


  • Population - 21,283,913
  • Infant Mortality Rate – 13 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Life Expectancy – 75.73 years
  • Population below poverty line – 23%
  • Year ChildFund entered Sri Lanka – 1985

Quick Facts

  • Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) is a tropical island lying close to the southern tip of India.
  • Sinhalese form the country’s major ethnic group (74%) and Tamils are the largest minority, at 18%.
  • Colombo is the capital of Sri Lanka with an estimated 648,000.
  • Sri Lanka’s main industries are: rubber processing, tea, coconuts, other agricultural commodities, clothing and cement. Sri Lanka’s main agricultural sources are: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses and milk. Sri Lanka’s main exports are: textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products and petroleum products.
  • The main languages spoken in Sri Lanka are: Sinhala, Tamil and English.
  • The main religions in Sri Lanka are: Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim.
  • The currency in Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan rupee.

Priority Issues

  • Tensions between ethnic groups and demands for an independent Tamil state erupted into civil war in the early 1980s. The war lasted for two decades and still plagues the country despite a 2002 ceasefire agreement.
  • The war also forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes interrupting the lives of countless children and placing them in unsafe environments without adequate access to education, inadequate health facilities and with little protection from child abuse and exploitation.
  • Although a ceasefire was reached in early 2002, ethnic tensions continue to simmer. Sri Lanka was struck with a second blow brought by the December 2004 Tsunami. More than 35,000 people in ten districts around the island died and more than 890,000 lost their homes.
  • In Sri Lanka, one out of five children is born with low birth weight and nearly one-third of children under-5 years are underweight.
  • Malnutrition among children continues to be a major health problem. Nearly 24% of children under the age of 5 years and 55% in the 6-10 age group, are anaemic.
  • Sri Lanka has a very high school enrolment rate (97.2%) however high drop-out rates and low achievement levels are common, with only small percentages of students reaching mastery levels in numeracy and their first language. High absenteeism and a 50 % dropout rate are reported in disadvantaged areas, which include estates, low-income groups, urban slums and remote rural areas. The tsunami has exacerbated this situation by destroying schools and damaging the educational infrastructure in affected areas.
  • Mental health disorders are common and Sri Lanka has a particularly high suicide rate (around 6000 per year).

ChildFund Intervention

CCF Sri Lanka began in 1985. Currently, 12,139 children in 44 projects are assisted with over 120 being sponsored through ChildFund Ireland. Fighting has taken thousands of lives on both sides of the conflict over historical divisions. The recent peace process has saved a large number of lives and lessened the burden of a war lasting two decades, but the Sri Lanka’s future is still uncertain. The tsunami of December 2004 only added to the hardship experienced by the Sri Lankan people.

Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of India. Most Sri Lankans live in poorly constructed houses, many of which are only temporary structures. The walls are often mud and stick, roofs are thatched with dried coconut leaves and floors of hard-packed earth. Not all households have proper sanitary facilities. There is no plumbing and no running water, obtaining safe drinking water is problematic. Most Sri Lankan families have only one meal a day, and caregivers are not always able to provide the nutrition necessary for healthy, growing children. The Hearth programme, which was first implemented in Sri Lanka but is now used in many ChildFund supported projects, uses mothers whose children have benefited from their micro-nutrition training as volunteers to influence the mothers and caregivers of malnourished children. The mothers who act as volunteers help to bring about positive change in the feeding and childcare practices of the mothers whose children do not yet benefit from the lessons learned by the volunteer mothers.

In ChildFund assisted projects, parents design various programmes to move towards self-sufficiency. Growth monitoring and special feeding programmes have reduced malnutrition among children, and all children under the age of five are immunised against communicable diseases. Prenatal and postnatal clinics are available for mothers. Expectant mothers are provided vitamins to promote healthy pregnancies. Additionally, dental clinics and regular check-ups for children are conducted, and first aid groups are trained in case of an emergency.

Children in ChildFund assisted projects receive school supplies, two sets of school uniforms and the required exercise books. For children who travel for more advanced studies than those provided in their area, bus fare is provided. Tutoring is offered for students who need extra help, in addition to project libraries that are housed in the pre-schools. For children who have to drop-out of school, vocational training in carpentry, masonry and motor mechanics is offered.

With a specific grant from the Irish Government through ChildFund Ireland, over 1,000 people who were directly affected by the tsunami in Trincomalee district are participating in a programme to enable them to rebuild their livelihoods.

 

 

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