Children have been out of school for the past four years, and fuel is scarce and expensive, with the average cost of one week of food now the cost of food for one day. This is what the economic crisis looks like in Sri Lanka today. Due to its long-standing economic and political issues, the country is now dealing with an un-payable International debt, an unstable government since the president resigned and fled the country and inflation at an all-time high of 80 per cent.
Since 2019, Sri Lanka has dealt with significant challenges, first the Easter bombing attack 2019, the nationwide shutdown due to the pandemic and now the economic crisis. “There are no words to describe the hardships people are undergoing. Some are starving while some can afford a meal of rice with maybe a green chilli once or twice a day,” shared a ministry leader. Thilini, the OM leader in Sri Lanka, further explained that even though some schools have created an online learning platform, “the average family lacks the electronic devices needed for online school.”
The OM team in Sri Lanka plans to work with churches in 20 of the 25 country districts to distribute food packages as their immediate response. “In those packages, we will also include resources to grow their food to help with long-term sustainability,” Thilini shared. In the long term, Thilini and the team plan to develop an education relief programme to reach children combined with a nutritional programme to combat malnutrition. “We knew our country was headed towards an economic crisis in the last several years, but we didn’t know it would be this devastating. Everywhere you turn people are suffering and every sector in society is severely impacted especially the health and food sector,” Thilini said.
Please join us in prayer for Sri Lanka. Pray for new leadership that will bring much-needed reform and stability to the country. Pray for the most vulnerable families affected by this crisis; that they would experience the providing hand of God. Pray that amid the turmoil, people’s hearts would be opened to see God and trust in His goodness.
