Amid the economic crisis, parents are willing to make sacrifices, skipping meals and forgoing necessities just so their children can have an opportunity to receive an education.

Damayanthi is such a determined mother who strives to do her best to educate her children.

“I have a government job, and my husband is a farmer and carpenter. We have three children, two of whom are in school. But lately, we've been hit hard by the ongoing crisis, and our income has become unreliable. To make ends meet, we've had to take out loans just to manage our daily needs and support our children's education. But even then, it's a constant struggle to provide them with necessities like food, education, and medicine. To add to our struggles, farming has become almost impossible with the skyrocketing prices of fuel and pesticides. It feels like every time we turn around, the cost of something we need has gone up tenfold. Even simple things that used to cost 100 rupees now require us to have 1000 rupees in hand.”

This is the everyday struggle of most parents in Sri Lanka. But their determination to educate their children has not faded away. Light a Future is an initiative by Sarvodaya supported by Atlas, which is on a mission to help 100,000 kids to stay in school and brighten their future with learning opportunities. With this initiative, we want to ensure no child is left behind in learning. In our journey of brightening futures, we had the privilege of bringing the hopes of children in Anuradhapura. We provided essential learning tools to 416 children in Handagala Prathamika Vidyalaya and Aiyathigewewa Vidyalaya. As soon as the children saw the gift boxes, their eyes lit up with excitement. They could hardly contain their joy as they tore off the wrapping paper to reveal the treasures inside.

You can be a part of Light a Future’s mission. Your donation can help change lives and positively impact the future. Donate now and pledge your support.