We were asked a few years ago if we could help the ‘bad girls’ in a state run institution in Sri Lanka. With so much need to improve conditions and care for orphaned and abandoned little babies, and with limited funds, bad girls were far down our list of priorities.
Sometime later we learnt of their ‘crimes’ which were shocking.
In fact these poor girls had suffered sexual abuse and exploitation often by male family members and after this humiliation were rejected by their mothers and imprisoned by the state until they reach 18 years old when they are released without education or skills.
They say eyes are the ‘windows to our soul’ and meeting these sad young girls and hearing their compelling stories was unforgettable.
TFT has donated school books and uniforms to enable their education since 2010 but we wanted to do more to ignite ambition and opportunity.
Yesterday we celebrated Children's Day Around the World with the opening of our new TFT vocational Sewing Project and our trustee Ryan Stanier and supporter Nick Wight helped build 10 sewing machines and employed a sewing teacher for 80 excited girls.