Sri Lanka Children’s Homes

Sri Lanka faced a devastating, prolonged civil war and the Tsunami in 2004. These events created a massive humanitarian crisis, leaving an enormous number of children from all communities orphaned or homeless. This led to a rapid and substantial increase in children’s homes to house those who were abandoned or displaced.

While the original orphans are now adults, the need for safe, caring residential care continues. Sri Lanka is still grappling with the severe, lasting impact of the conflict, resulting in widespread social breakdown, poverty, and community trauma. Many vulnerable children remain badly affected and require secure homes.

Pic courtesy – Reuters

The Art of Living Foundation (AOL), IAHV’s sister organization, addresses this by operating two critical children’s homes: one for girls in Batticaloa and one for boys in Wellawaya.

They provide a caring, secure, value-based home environment for the children. The core ethos is their successful integration into the wider community. They attend local schools and receive full home support to excel academically and prepare to be strong, engaged members of society.

Children are taught responsibility through helping each other and participating in domestic tasks. They also learn valuable vocational skills like computing and English.

Crucially, the approach incorporates meditation and yoga practices, giving them essential tools for emotional balance and ensuring a positive transition to adulthood.

Batticaloa: “Village of Hope”

The 12 acre site at Batticaloa was taken over in Oct 2009. The children’s home originally housed over 40 underprivileged girls, but this number has reduced through dilapidation lack of resources to about 23. They would like to expand again and provide for more if they had the resources to do so. The children are provided with all household living and learning assistance on a daily basis. The children are directly admitted to the care and custody of the homes by the local Child Probation Commissioners. Some are referred by relatives for a variety of difficult social and family reasons. The authorities pay a very modest sum for the keep each child they refer. Nothing is paid for the children who do not come through the Probation Service.

Wellawaya:

This home was adopted in 2009. It sits on a 4 acre site of which the home constitutes about a third. At its height, Wellawaya was home to 67 boys. Now there are 22 and the optimal number would be 50. At the moment the capacity is limited by the state of the accommodation and facilities.

The accommodation was recently improved with a very useful donation from Japan for the refurbishment of a dormitory area with new showers and toilet facilities.

You have the power to directly transform the lives of these children. Here’s how you can make a personal impact:

Reach out to sundar@uk.artofliving.org for any details.

• Sponsor Their Education: Your donation can secure their schooling and provide necessary support.
• Organize an Event: Host a local fundraiser within your community to rally support for the homes.
• Share Our Story: Introduce these children as a project to the schools or groups you and your family participate in. We will personally provide all the information you need.
• Fulfill an Urgent Need: Ask us about the most immediate needs of the homes right now, and contribute directly to resolving that challenge.