Support education throughout COVID-19 in Sri Lanka

Dear Supporter,

Street Child wishes to thank you for your continuous generosity and kindness. Your unwavering support towards children’s learning initiatives in the North and East of Sri Lanka is much appreciated, especially in these difficult times.

Soon after tackling the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka continues to experience a multitude of distress through the worst economic crisis in the country to date. With the country officially defaulting as of 18^th May 2022, Sri Lanka’s plight into rebuilding the country’s economy is one of uncertainty. With a political crisis currently in amend, the government is facing a high degree of pressure to navigate out of the country’s debt, along with a daily increase in inflation rates, fuel shortages and lack of basic supplies for citizens.

With a constant disruption to school activities, students have missed several days of formal schooling due to nation-wide imposed curfews. On days that school is open, some children are unable to attend because of the fuel scarcity, limiting modes of transport for students and teachers.

A focus on the current economic and political issues in country have deterred authorities away from COVID-19 safety considerations. The virus continues to spread across the country with a recorded 293 active hospital cases according to the Sri Lankan Health Promotion Bureau as of 20^th May 2022, with speculation that unrecorded numbers would exceed 5,000 active cases. The health ministry has issued a statement of caution in public areas and masks are still considered mandatory.

Nationwide school closures as a result of the country’s civil unrest as of 9^th May 2022 continue to threaten the long-term prospects of children in marginalised communities. With students on school holiday leave from 20^th May 2022, earlier than expected, students continue to face a concerning loss of learning.

This project was designed to overcome the challenges that may arise due to the uncertainty of COVID-19 in the country. It is now a vital survival kit for student’s as they face interrupted learning for almost 3 years now, subject to the country’s improvement of economic outcomes. The learning support package of interactive learning materials that were distributed to 874 children from remote, rural communities of North and East Sri Lanka through our local implementing partners have continued to support student’s English education through periods of inconsistent schooling.

105 teachers whom have received training for inclusive and interactive learning remain engaged with Street Child and Zonal Education Offices, as to how best we can utilise the skills learnt in these trainings during periods of school closure. With many teachers sharing positive feedback to continue learning about interactive teaching methods, Street Child hope to act on this enthusiasm in line with the needs of the schools and zones we work in.

Our home-based learning interventions will continue to play a vital role as students navigate their education through the uncertainty of Sri Lanka’s country condition. Street Child hope to continue expanding this program to reach more students and encourage a continuation of learning throughout the challenges faced amid the pandemic, economic crisis and beyond.

Street Child thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to sharing further progress with you soon.