food banks open in religious places

The initiative will make it possible to collect leftover food and avoid waste. Many children have stopped going to school because they are no longer guaranteed lunch. The funds allocated by the government are not enough.

Colombo () – To guarantee citizens’ access to food, the authorities have created food banks and exchange centers in religious places. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs, the program covers 14,000 divisions: the centers will collect leftover food and deliver it to food banks, which will in turn distribute it to the most needy families. In this way, citizens will have the opportunity to pool what is left over and avoid waste.

The government will count on the help of Buddhist monks and priests, since it considers that they are the ones who best understand the living conditions of citizens tested by the economic crisis. For months, Sri Lanka – which declared bankruptcy in April – has been facing an unprecedented crisis that has collapsed household food security.

During the debates about the application of the program, “the decision to create food banks with the help of the clergy came up; this is to ensure that distribution to those in need is done in a transparent way, instead of by lists presented by politicians of affected areas,” he told an analyst who participated in the meetings.

Meanwhile, an Education Department official said principals at several schools have reported large numbers of children from low-income families who are “skipping classes” because their parents can’t feed them: “Many pupils were fainting in the school”, during training.

According to a recent government report, “children in one in seven families dropped out of school for lack of food.” According to a senior official from the Ministry of Education, “there are 4.1 million students, of whom only 1.1 million receive lunch.” And this despite the fact that the government has allocated 60 rupees (17 euro cents) per meal.

In Monaragala, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts, the parents of these students are day laborers employed as masons, carpenters, plumbers or labourers. Some are unable to find a job – despite spending days and weeks searching – and have pawned the family jewels to buy basic necessities.

“The 60 rupees that the government has allocated is not enough. An egg costs 50 rupees, so it is not possible to provide a full meal. Most of the children are fed thanks to the goodwill of the community,” says the director. from a rural school.

The Council of Ministers has set itself the goal of feeding one million children to maintain school attendance. Several international organizations, such as Save The Children and the UN World Food Program (WFP), also collaborate with the Ministry of Education. In addition, various groups carry out “community kitchen” projects for students from Wattegama, Maskeliya and Dickoya schools.