SRI LANKA
The land of endless possibilities
Spotlight: Sri Lanka
Why Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka may be best known for its sprawling and beatific tea plantations but did you know that it is also home to a population of 21.8 million? Sri Lanka is a lower-middle-income country with a GDP per capita of USD 3,852 (2019).
Since the pandemic there has been a disastrous impact on Sri Lanka’s economy, which has been deprived of tourism while workers’ remittances from abroad have fallen sharply. The tea estate communities, particularly the elderly have trouble receiving medication and basic supplies they need whilst unable to work or leave their houses due to curfew and Coronavirus.
A huge number of daily workers, are unable to work and are now without the ability to purchase even basic food, this is resulting in vulnerability and increasing incidents of domestic violence. Even in 'normal' times, 90% of students live off less than $1 a day.
For children living in poor rural villages of Sri Lanka, attending day care, nursery or preschool is often unthinkable. Many spend their time at home, helping their parents with household chores, looking after the younger sibling, or simply idling their time. Though children are primarily affected, single parent mothers are equally challenged having to stay home.
Diversity In Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s diverse social fabric is made up of different ethnic, religious, linguistic, and cultural groups. There is a very clear distinction between different ethnic groups; Buddhism is the religion practiced by a majority of the country’s Sinhala population, a larger portion of Tamils is Hindu, and Muslims are adherents of Islam. Christianity is followed by both Sinhala and Tamil people. While religion is closely tied to the ethnicity, ethno-religious identity is somewhat fluid between Sinhala and Tamil communities since some people from both these communities share a common religion. Although religion had always played a crucial part in the country’s post-independent identity politics, religion itself was never deemed as a direct cause for the armed conflict.
