UNICEF Sri Lanka has launched a special relief package for pre-school children and mothers hardest hit by the current economic crisis., UNICEF said.The initiative, conducted in collaboration with the Colombo Municipal Council and Public Health midwives, will provide much-needed relief to the urban poor and most disadvantaged families, facing severe hardship and struggling to put food on their table.

“As food inflation and the price of basic commodities continues to increase, more and more families are struggling” said UNICEF Sri Lanka Representative, Emma Brigham. “The lack of affordable nutritious food has a life-long impact on children, especially those in their early years of life. The programmes, being launched today, are an important step to bring some relief to food insecure families, but much more is urgently needed.”

With food inflation rising over 80 percent, in June, and continuing to increase, critical support, in the form of regular monthly cash transfers of LKR 5000, is being provided to about 3,000 mothers with newborn babies in the Colombo Municipal area, as a way of bringing some relief to those who are food insecure, over the next three months. The mothers will also receive critical information on breastfeeding and nutrition for children.