New Hope for Thanushkanth
In the northern region of Sri Lanka, where the devastating effects of the 30-year civil war still linger, far too many children are living in the darkness of poverty. Sam, a Compassion Sri Lanka staff member, sees firsthand how children here feel trapped. “Poverty forces people here into bad habits like early marriage, school dropouts, substance abuse and even drug dealing,” he shares.
With your help, Compassion is expanding our reach into Sri Lanka’s eastern and northern regions, where poverty is high and opportunities for families are limited.
Generally, new centers look to register younger children so they can start early in supporting the child and family. But in 7-year-old Thanushkanth’s case, staff requested he be registered because of his extreme need. He was given a special exception and started the program a year ago, and one of the first things the center did was help enroll Thanushkanth in school.
Today, Thanushkanth’s parents have hope for a better future and believe that their children can break the cycle of poverty — a complete turnaround compared to this time last year. Sam shares, “I have seen new centers bring meaningful and transformative change to their communities. They address key challenges and foster holistic child development through education, health care and livelihood support. Children now have greater opportunities to learn and thrive.”
With your help, new children are joining the Compassion family every day and experiencing this same hope as they begin their journey out of poverty.