Sri Lanka Covid-19 Emergency Relief Appeal

April 18, 2020

Dear Friends,

Hope everyone is keeping well and safe at this time. This is the first time I am reaching out personally to ask you to support an emergency response to COVID-19. My friends and I are raising money to support the already vulnerable children and youth in the Batticaloa region of Sri Lanka. There are many doing the exact same as us, yet the need is greater than what is being done.

In partnership with Visions Global Empowerment (a Los Angeles-based global education nonprofit) and the local NGO in Sri Lanka (Church of the American Ceylon Mission - “CACM”), I am seeking support to provide emergency relief for families of children in 3 of the ongoing initiatives run by CACM in Batticaloa, Eastern Province:

• St. John’s Boys Home (19 students, 16 families);

• Herman Girls Home (15 girls, 8 families);

• House of Care (12 special needs youth)

Since the country is on a lockdown due to COVID-19, all three of these programs are currently closed and the families who were already struggling on day labour have been suddenly asked to take up the care of these children and youth at a time when the families cannot go to work because of the lockdown nor do they have government assistance. At this time, most do not have any other source of income to sustain their day-to-day living, and this has put their daily meals at risk.

As an organization, CACM has identified that what is needed urgently is the provision of a monthly pack of essential items consisting of food and health products. We cannot make this happen this alone. Our aim is to provide CAD $50 worth of essential items per month per family for a period of three months, making our total fundraising target CAD $6,000.

Since this is a volunteer-run program and both Visions Global Empowerment and Facebook do not charge any fees (other than banking fees), all proceeds will go to help the youth and their families who are in dire need of support during COVID-19 isolation.

The CACM Director for Community Programs is Darshan Ambalavanar. This is someone I have known for several years. He is based in Batticaloa and knows the 35 families personally and will oversee the relief effort. Take a moment to read more about Darshan. Please also note that CACM is a long-term partner of Visions, and Visions serves essentially as CACM’s fiscal sponsor in the United States.

So much is happening across the globe in such incredible speed - through it all, the resilience of human spirit glows bright to chase the shadows of the pandemic. In these 35 families reside youth with unfulfilled dreams, hope and resilience. What would be a great boost to them and their families is knowing that they are not alone, that there are people like us who will step up and support them. Can you please help??

With gratitude,

Kiruthiha

DONATE

Please use the donation links provided below to make your contribution today by simply clicking the PayPal button for your currency of choice. As Visions is a 501c3 charity in the U.S., tax receipts will be provided to all U.S.-based donors.

About Darshan Ambalavanar

Darshan Ambalavanar is currently the Director for Diaconam Ministry (Community Programs) for the Church of the American Ceylon Mission (CACM). Darshan has served in this position since September 2009 when he moved from Canada to live in Sri Lanka. His responsibilities include the oversight of community education programs supporting children, youth and women in war affected districts in the North East of Sri Lanka and key programs supporting children and youth of estate workers in the Central Hills. Darshan oversees a vocational training centre, pre-schools and after school programs, youth leadership programs, children’s homes for both girls and boys, and a centre for special needs children. In addition, he manages the sustainable livelihood programs for women headed households.

Earlier, Darshan was a founding organizer of the annual Tamil Studies Conference at the University of Toronto. Darshan has a M.A. and Ph.D in the Study of Religion from Harvard University in addition to Masters Degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and an undergraduate honours degree in history at the University of Reading (UK). He is the co-editor of History and Imagination: Tamil Culture in the Global Context, and New Demarcations: Essays in Tamil Studies.