Sri Lanka

The Indian Ocean island nation of Sri Lanka has a population of 23 million people of diverse religious, linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The country experienced a devastating civil war from 1983 to 2009. Then a crippling economic crisis engulfed the country between 2019 and 2023, from which it has just begun to emerge. Food insecurity remains high, and poverty levels have doubled in recent years to 23.4% of the population.

Our Partner

ABM AID partners with the Church of Ceylon, which is what the Anglican church in Sri Lanka is called. The Church is an extra-provincial jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who serves as its Metropolitan. It has two dioceses – the Diocese of Colombo and the Diocese of Kurunagala.

The Work We Support

1. Education, Women’s Empowerment and Health

During the time of Sri Lanka’s war with Tamil separatist groups, the Diocese of Colombo established the Oppuravillam Peace Centre. In 2017, the work of this Centre was revived by the Diocese’s Reconciliation and Peace Desk and continues today.

The Reconciliation and Peace Desk serves poor and vulnerable households in more than ten rural communities throughout the country. It partners with women’s groups and other diocesan organisations and parishes to ensure a wide geographic coverage.

ABM AID is proud to fund some of the work of the Reconciliation and Peace Desk, including women’s empowerment, enhancing children’s education at all levels, and a health ministry.

Mr S. Sureshkumar, Manager of the Oppuravillam Peace Centre, recently shared about the difference ABM AID supporters are making:

“We appreciate the support of ABM AID.

“We are mainly supporting children to improve their computer knowledge here through evening classes. The children come from a small village and don’t have money for their tuition, or for their meals and other needs, and they don’t have their own computers. But here at the Centre they have the opportunity to learn some computer knowledge. We are teaching them Microsoft Office and basic knowledge of the computer.

“Then in the evenings we are supporting a teacher by paying her salary to teach maths and history to 37 students so they can do the national exams at ordinary level. We are also giving scholarships to some students.

“So, the support we get from you is very helpful to the students. Thank you.”

A local mother of a preschool student appreciated the Centre’s provision of additional food for her young child:

“I’m living near the Oppuravillam Centre. I have to say thank you very much to the person who provides the nutritional food for my child. We are very suffering from this economic crisis. In this situation, I could not provide healthy meals for my children. Thank you so much for your support.”

2. School Refurbishment

ABM AID has also recently begun supporting the Diocese of Kurunagala to refurbish a school building in the town of Kurunegala that will provide educational opportunities for the children of tea-picking labourers and other children who have limited educational opportunities. The school will begin as a branch primary school of an existing school, and gradually expand as resources allow. We will support staff salaries, as well as the purchase of some furniture and furnishings, and contribute to the upgrading of the interior of the building.

How you can help

• $25 provides one child at the Oppuravillam Centre with two nutritious meals every week for a year
• $50 pays the salary of a part-time IT tutor for one month
• $245 pays the salary of a full-time primary teacher at the school at Kurunegala for one month
• $250 can fund a health camp for malnourished children

Your support can sustain these transformative programs of education, peacebuilding, and community development, empowering more Sri Lankan children, families and communities to thrive.