This project will help: 150 children
Child development centre: Omega Child Development Centre (LK0314)
Location: Kaluwankeni, Sri Lanka
Children growing up in Kaluwankeni, Sri Lanka, are in desperate need of holistic care. Most caregivers rely on fishing for income, while some mothers work in garment factories or as housemaids. Limited local resources and high rates of unemployment and poverty are barriers to education. Annual education fees for primary and secondary school students are far greater than what many families living in poverty can afford. Children are often pressured to drop out of school and get jobs, but families still struggle to meet basic needs. Cancer, high blood pressure, leprosy and diabetes are common health issues in the community.
Without the hope of a better future, young people end up dealing and using drugs. Girls are especially vulnerable to exploitation and early marriage. Without intervention, children here stand very little chance of shaking off the chains of poverty.
But the local church in Kaluwankeni has a deep desire to reach out to their community with God’s love and respond to some of the most pressing needs of children.
By opening a child development centre, children will have access to health care and will receive supplementary food as needed. Through your support they will also have the opportunity to go to school and receive vocational training, as well as education on important topics like health, hygiene and how to form healthy relationships. Along the way, they will also receive personal attention, guidance and love from caring members of the Christian community and have the opportunity to hear about Jesus in the context of a local church.
Real and lasting change happens when children are developed to become the adults who will create change in their community. In Compassion’s program, children learn they are loved, develop hope for their future and realize that God wants to use them to help others. These children grow up to be givers and leaders in their community.
Help children build a new future free from poverty and full of promise by launching a holistic children’s ministry!
Children’s ministry launch
Help a church in Sri Lanka open a holistic child development ministry.
Church name: Heavenly Vision Revival Harvest Church
Community information: Kaluwankeni is a village community on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka of about 7,800 people. The closest major city is Chenkalady. Most people in Kaluwankeni work as fishers or day labourers and earn about $55 a month, but 55 per cent of the population is unemployed. Homes are made of tile roofs, brick or cement block walls and cement floors. Rice is a staple in the local diet. Most people in the community are Hindu.
What is provided through this gift:
- Centre staffing
- Staff training
- Child registration and caregiver orientation
- Initial caregiver meeting
- Registration day items
- Camera
- Administrative equipment and supplies
- Office computer and printer
- o Office filing cabinets and shelves
- Office supplies
- Office desk and chair
- Office supplies
- Staff uniforms and backpacks
- Classroom furnishings and supplies
- Tables and chairs
- Toys, games and minor sports equipment
- Teaching resources and supplies
- Curriculum printing
- Kitchen furnishings and supplies
- Tables and chairs
- Cooking pots, pans and cooking utensils
- Cups, bowls and cutlery
- Gas tank and cooking fuel
- Storage cabinets and closets
- Health checkups and supplies
- Initial health screenings
- Height and weight measurement tools
- First-aid kits