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Half of Lankan families reducing children’s food intake as country slips further into hunger crisis – Save the Children

Published

3 years ago

2023/03/3

Half of families in Sri Lanka are forced to reduce the amount they feed their children, according to a survey by Save the Children, as the country’s economic downturn spirals further into a full-blown hunger crisis nearly a year after the government defaulted on its debt.The government and international community must act now to prevent the country’s children from becoming a lost generation, the child rights organisation said.

Since the Sri Lankan government defaulted on its debt nearly a year ago, soaring inflation and food, medicine and fuel shortages as well as a lack of stable employment have left families unable to cope. The country has the seventh highest nominal food inflation rate in the world, according to the World Bank, with year-on-year inflation in the country more than 50%.

Save the Children’s latest survey of 2,308 households across nine districts in Sri Lanka found that due to this inflation, average household expenditure increased by 18% between June and December last year. During this time there was a 23% increase in households unable to meet most or all of their general basic needs, Save the Children said.

Because of this, over the past six months, more families have had to resort to desperate measures to survive, with a 24% increase in households saying they had resorted to borrowing money in order to cover household expenses; a 24% increase in households saying they had to purchase food on credit; and a 28% increase in households selling household items for cash[v].

Female-headed households are particularly vulnerable, Save the Children said, as women are increasingly at risk of trafficking or exploitation, working overtime and in some cases migrating for work. This in turn puts children at risk as they are left alone, according to the child rights organisation.

While half of households said they are cutting their children’s food intake, 27% reported adults skipping meals to feed their children. Nine out of ten households said they cannot guarantee nutritious food for their children.

Suren* and Preethika*, from Colombo, struggle to provide a well-balanced meal for all three of their children. Even simple nutritional foods, such as eggs and yoghurt, have become too expensive for the family to afford, limiting the items they are able to feed their children. On most days, they are forced to prioritize their toddler’s nutrition.

Their 11-year-old daughter Thisuri* said that she and her 8-year-old sister Ayama* now often go without things like yoghurt because their parents can only afford to provide it for their one-year-old sister, Hiruni*.

Thisuri* said: “We really like to eat yoghurt too, but most of the time my parents can only afford to buy yoghurt for my youngest sister. Whenever they have extra and can afford it, they buy the two of us yoghurt too.”

“Things are so expensive in shops now. It was never like this before.”

The survey also found that 70% of households lost all or most of their sources of income between June and December last year. Among these, more than half of households (54%) now source their main household income from jobs that are seasonal and irregular. This instability is putting children in the precarious position of not knowing where their next meal is coming from, Save the Children said.

Julian Chellappah, Save the Children’s Sri Lanka Country Director said: “These figures show how the crisis in Sri Lanka continues to spiral out of control and how, as with any crisis, children are bearing the brunt with their physical and mental health, nutrition and education all at risk. These children were born into hope as the country’s post-war generation – but we are in grave danger of failing them once again.”

“Parents should never have to choose who in their family gets to eat a meal. Everything we are seeing here points to a very real danger of a full-blown hunger crisis. The Sri Lankan government is giving much-needed support to some families through welfare schemes, but we need a rapid build-up of social protection systems with support from the international community. This is an emergency situation that requires an emergency response.”

All humanitarian interventions must factor in patriarchal gender dynamics of communities in order to best meet needs, Save the Children said.

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Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka pays courtesy call on PM

Published

4 hours ago

2026/02/19

Priyan

The Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka Dr. Siri Walt paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on the 17th of February at the Temple Trees.

Welcoming the Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka the Prime Minister briefed the Ambassador on her recent visit to Davos to participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting noting that the series of high-level bilateral meetings held on the sidelines of the Forum, along with two important industry visits provided valuable insights for Sri Lanka’s economic engagement.

The discussion focused on Switzerland’s vocational education and training (VET) system, with particular interest in exploring possible cooperation and knowledge-sharing opportunities.

The Prime Minister also conveyed her appreciation for the assistance extended by the Government of Switzerland following Cyclone Ditwah. She emphasized Sri Lanka’s need for enhanced technical assistance during the ongoing rebuilding phase, especially in relation to the reconstruction of bridges and railway infrastructure.

Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Switzerland, and to expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

First Secretary (Political) of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo Ms. Justine Boillat, First Secretary (Migration) of the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo Ms. Andrea Kienast and the Secretary to the Prime Minister, Pradeep Saputhanthri, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatt and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Foreign Employment, Tourism.attended the meeting.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

Latest News

Advisory for low pressure area in the Southwest Bay of Bengal to the south-east of Sri Lanka

Published

5 hours ago

2026/02/19

Priyan

Location of the low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal Sea area

Advisory for low pressure area in the Southwest Bay of Bengal to the south-east of Sri Lanka.
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 03.00 pm on 18 February 2026

Multiday boats fishermen and naval community are warned that the low-pressure area still persists over the Southwest Bay of Bengal to the south-east of Sri Lanka. Under the influence of this system, heavy showers or thundershowers, Strong winds about (50-60) kmph, and rough or very rough seas can be expected in these sea areas.

The Meteorological Department is constantly monitoring the behavior of the system.

The naval and fishing communities are requested to be attentive to the future forecasts and bulletins issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.

News

Canada concerned about delay in holding PC polls

Published

6 hours ago

2026/02/19

Sahan Weerasooriya

Canadian High Commissioner Isabelle Martin shaking hands with Minister Abayaratne

Canada, said to be the home to the largest Tamil Diaspora community, has expressed concern over the delay in holding Provincial Council (PC) elections. Canadian High Commissioner Isabelle Martin, on Monday (16), took up the issue with Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Professor Chandana Abayaratne.

Sources quoted Prof. Abayaratne as having told the Canadian HC that the delay was not deliberate on the part of the government. The Minister blamed, what the sources called, certain legal, technical and delimitation issues for the delay.

India compelled Sri Lanka to enact the 13th Amendment to the country’s Constitution to enable the setting up of the Provincial Council system, in line with the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord, which Sri Lanka signed under duress in July 1987.

Prof. Abayaratne has assured the Canadian HC that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, too, recognised the importance of strengthening the Provincial Council system as a solution to ethnic issues and that urgent steps would be taken in that regard.

During the discussion, matters relating to strengthening political, economic and social relations between the two countries were discussed.

In May 2020, Canada declared that Sri Lanka had perpetrated genocide during the war against the LTTE. Canada also sanctioned former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa in January 2023 over alleged war crimes.

The Canadian HC also explained her country’s ‘Indo-Pacific’ strategy and how Sri Lanka could benefit from it.

In particular, Canada’s “Pathways to Peace” project will support reconciliation between nations, and to improve communication by encouraging the learning of mutual languages as a second language, and it was also agreed to provide more opportunities for Sri Lankan students to pursue higher studies in Canada.

The Canadian delegation also expressed its willingness to provide the necessary technical assistance to solve the drinking water problems in Puttalam, Mannar and the North-Eastern provinces under technical cooperation, and to implement the relevant projects after a preliminary study.

by Shamindra Ferdinando