Jul 16 2018.
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After our initial heart warming visit to the SOS Village Piliyandala about 8 months ago, we were keen on keeping in touch with them. We were also hoping to visit their Galle village and make some more memories with the children of the South. Fast forward 8 months, we were invited to Galle.
If you did not know, SOS Children’s Villages in Sri Lanka is an organisation that provides alternative care for children who have lost parental care in Sri Lanka due to abandonment, natural disasters, poverty and many other reasons that lead to such vulnerability. With over 36 years of service and 6 children’s villages in Piliyandala, Galle, Nuwara Eliya, Anuradhapura, Monaragala and Jaffna, they now care for over 950 children.
Their belief: that no child should grow up alone, unstable and without a supportive community. This is the belief that they aim to uphold.
What is compromising their belief: During the past 37 years, the SOS Children’s Villages of Sri Lanka were mainly funded by international individual donors and other philanthropists in Europe.
Since Sri Lanka is now considered a middle income country, the umbrella organisation has imposed a gradual subsidy reduction scheme on the organisation here in Sri Lanka.
Current game plan: In light of these events, the SOS Villages in Sri Lanka have been curating programmes and systems through which the subsidy gap issue can be altered to a stable state. Their main aim at this point in time is to be able to generate donations and income from within the country itself.
The challenge: Their current subsidy gap issue means that they have to improve their fundraising systems within the country to be able to support the SOS Villages on their own by 2023, which is when the international donations will be halted.
Snippets from our day
Just like the Piliyandala village, the Galle village too is a fully functioning, lively village to all the children. On the particular day that we went, they had a few stalls selling handmade products, food and gardening items that the village families have made.
These are skills that they have developed in order to be able to sustain themselves financially. These family strengthening programmes are not only for those that reside in the SOS Village, but also for those disadvantaged families in the region that make a daily wage of less than a dollar. These programmes aim at preventing crises that could put its children at risk of losing home care. (These disadvantaged families are identified with the help of the government.)
The range of handmade carpets they had were a favourite of everyone there. Especially the cat shaped carpet. Most of us ended up buying something from these stalls. They also had a thirst quenching ‘pani dodang’ juice that I (obviously) had two of.
The most striking character was their ‘ekamuthukama’ -their togetherness in every act. (the Sinhalese term sounded apt at this instance)
The housing in the Galle village was another notable feature. The architecture represented those houses in Nuwara Eliya. Bright and colourful, these homes radiated more happiness than any average home that we have seen.
They do not question their background, their DNA or the fact that there is no bond by blood. They act as one and there is nothing more pure. Stronger than this is the commitment of their ‘amma’. A woman who takes on the role of caring for around 8 children and loving them as her own. We consider this life changing.
There are young women in these villages who are undergoing training to become a ‘mother’ for these children. Some retired mothers have become grandmothers to over 10-15 grandchildren and continue to live at the retired mothers quarters in the village. The children of these mothers are just like any other. Some have moved abroad for work, some have families and some are yet to figure out their path in life. What is common with all these children is that they never forget their roots- they don’t forget home and make it a point to visit their mothers.
Ultimately, the core goal that SOS aims to achieve is to be able to give orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children a home. A home that shows no diversity or difference in their lives.
The children of these homes grow up to be just like any normal adult. Living, loving and working to sustain themselves so that they don’t have to come across a situation where they would oneday have to send their own children off to one of these villages, no matter how well they would be taken care of.
Be a helping hand and help make a loving home for every child.
Contributions are needed at the SOS Villages and you can visit their website to find more information.
You can donate or sponsor a child/family. Through small amounts like Rs.1500 and Rs.2500, you can change a child’s life. All the information for donations and respective amounts can be found on their site - http://www.soschildrensvillages.lk
You can also get involved by calling the SOS Coordination Centre if you know of a child without proper parental/family care OR a family in need which has children who are at risk of being separated from their families or being placed in institutional care.
Contact:
National Office
P.O. Box 5, Piliyandala,
Sri Lanka
Tel: +94-11-270 2712
email: [email protected]
1 Comments
SURANGA DISSANAYAKE says:
Nov 25, 2021 at 05:15 pmbefore am also helping to the one child in every month as per the present conditioned unable to do it. but will start immediately