Sri Lanka

Hope for Children support four vital projects being delivered in Sri Lanka, partnering with a range of small community-based organisations in the capital Columbo, rural Nuwara-Eliya and Batticaloa. 

We focus our services throughout the country on children living in the most disadvantaged communities in urban and rural Sri Lanka.  

Our Partners and Projects: 

Lanka Plus: 
The Living Positively Project: Providing financial support to families affected by HIV/AIDS.  

Ceylon School for the Blind: 
Delivering specialist equipment and recreational activities for children who are blind or partially sighted. 

MENCAFEP:  
Providing care for disabled children and their families.  

Sudarshana Society Pre-School: 
Supporting with nursery costs for children from low-income families. 

Lanka Plus 

Facilitated by our local partner Lanka Plus, the Living Positively Project provides financial support in the form of bursaries to children affected by HIV/AIDS. The children supported through this project come from extremely deprived families and communities. Most of these children only have one parent (or none) and are being cared for by a relative; many are elderly and are unable to be the daily wage earners, leaving their families with no stable source of income.  

Between 2022 and 2023, a total of 66 children were supported with these bursaries: including 26 HIV+ children. 

The bursaries that we deliver help support the children’s health, nutrition and educational needs, giving them the chance to have a healthy and happy childhood. As a result of the Living Positively Project, a great number of children have successfully gone on to complete their education and pursue employment or tertiary/vocational education.

Ceylon School for the Blind

Situated in Columbo, the Ceylon School for the Blind are dedicated to supporting children who otherwise would be excluded from education and society. Students are admitted according to their needs and come from across the island to receive this specialist education.  

The school holds a total of 95 children, 91 of whom are boarders. These children are all receiving a specialist education, unlike any other in the country. 

Through our partnership and our Hope funded co-ordinator, the school have been able to facilitate a number of recreational activities such as swimming lessons, chess, carom, guitar, playroom, and an audio centre. Children from the adjoining deaf school also take advantage of the swimming pool.  

MENCAFEP – Educare for the Disabled 

Our work with local partner MENCAFEP supports children with disabilities, providing a nurturing environment for children who would otherwise be at risk of abandonment or exploitation. Each year MENCAFEP support up to 120 children, providing a wide range of support catering for many different special needs.  

During 2022/23 the MENCAFEP were able to operate several specialist units including:  

• Inclusive Pre-School 

• Special Educational Resource Centre 

• Family Respite Care Centre 

• Sheltered Workshop/Vocational Training Unit 

• Profoundly Disabled Unit 

Sudarshana Pre-School

Managed by our local partners Moratuwa Social Services Society (MSSS) with support from Hope for Children, the aim of the pre-school programme is to support the children of families living in poverty by providing them with preschool education, meals and opportunities to develop their social skills.  

Instilling positive values, the pupils of this pre-school are afforded invaluable early-childhood development and emotional growth. Children come from low income and poorly educated families living nearby, many experiencing one or more of a complex number of issues including debt, drug abuse, sex work, criminality, and imprisonment of a family member. 

As of January 2023, the nursery was able to begin providing every child a mid-day meal, ensuring they would have a minimum of 1 nutritious meal per day.  

Attending the pre-school enables the children to engage in healthy experiences and relationships which will positively inform their development.