Our recent visit to the beautiful paradise island of Sri Lanka was a poignant, eye-opening and at times heartbreaking experience that has fuelled and strengthened our ongoing vision and determination to provide solutions to help keep women and girl survivors of abuse safe, families together and continue to drive forward a national foster care initiative to keep children out of orphanages. It was humbling to see the impact first hand of how your donations and support over the past year is directly making a real difference to change lives at this critical time of hunger and desperation, where all hope seems to be lost at every level of society, and Sri Lanka’s talent is migrating in droves. We saw how providing nourishing food and educational resources makes such a difference to ease the burden on poor families, and helps to keep the rising number of vulnerable children out of the orphanages where we saw first hand how they can no longer provide nourishment or support a childs most basic needs, which was beyond harrowing. We’re not only further committed to raising funds to feed and educate children, but to also raise awareness at the highest level about the seriousness of the current economic crisis in this Commonwealth country which feels completely forgotten by the world, and where these usually proud people are now begging for help, and urgently need support.
As tourists honestly we’d have been none the wiser. we would have enjoyed the strong currency and excellent value for money, quirky hotels, the warmth of the winter sun, the delicious and spicy Sri Lankan cuisine, natural wildlife, serene temples, alluring white sands, and the sounds and surf of the Indian Ocean. Tourism is slowly recovering and helps in so many ways, and there’s every reason to go and experience the diversity of this incredible country for yourself, as not only an unforgettable holiday awaits, but you'll also be providing a valuable source of income for those who urgently need employment and are struggling to survive. It was a wonderful experience to witness tourists giving surprised tuk tuk drivers double what they asked for, just because they could. AND, if your holiday takes you to the Southern Province we would love to invite TFT supporters to come and see our projects first hand to show the impact being made, which is so meaningful and uplifting. Your donations big or small are truly appreciated and make a real difference. We recognise these are extremely challenging times for all, and your support for Sri Lanka in this their hour of need is appreciated now more than ever. Loving kindness Deshabandu Lynn, (more about that later) Joel and Team TFT
For holidays to Sri Lanka please do checkout our longstanding partner Mercury Holidays.
To read the full newsletter, go to: https://mailchi.mp/0d082a107c90/feeding-futures-in-sri-lanka-6123404