Sri Lanka, half of families are forced to reduce food rations for their children: the country is sliding towards a serious food crisis

ROME – Nearly a year ago the Sri Lankan government defaulted after it was unable to repay the $78 million in interest payments on its public debt that fell due on April 18. Since then the combination of inflation – with an annual rate of more than 50 percent, according to estimates of World Bank – and the lack of food, medicine and fuel, as well as the lack of a political project capable of dealing with the emergency, has made life very complicated for the vast majority of families in the country.

The Save the Children dossier. The Organization’s latest survey analyzed the financial situation of 2,308 families in nine provinces of the country. It emerged that the average expenditure for the purchase of primary goods, for each of them, grew by 18 percent between June and December last year. In the same period, the number of households that are no longer able to afford the purchase of basic necessities such as medicines and food increased by 23 percent.

To survive. Over the past six months, scores of people have had to resort to desperate measures to keep on living. The dossier shows that the number of families forced to apply for a loan to cover household expenses has increased by 24 per cent; in this short period of time, the number of families forced to buy food on credit increased by 24 per cent; 28 percent more are forced to sell household items for cash.

The vulnerability of women. Families supported exclusively by women are the most defenseless and therefore are the ones that struggle the most – writes the organization – because women are exposed to greater risks of trafficking, exploitation and unpaid overtime. In many cases they are also forced to emigrate to survive. All of these conditions constitute a risk factor also for children, because in this way they are left more alone.

Hunger numbers. The data emerging from the report is discouraging: half of the families interviewed have reduced the food rations for their children. 27 percent of adults interviewed by the organization are forced to skip meals to feed their children and finally, nine out of ten families cannot guarantee nutritious food for their children. The survey also found that 70 percent of households lost most of their sources of income between June and December last year. Many people, 54 percent of those interviewed, today manage to earn only with seasonal and irregular activities. Covid and the associated restrictions have given the coup de grace to the economy of the country which lived mainly on tourism.

History. Suren and Preethika, from Colombo, told the organization that they struggle to ensure a balanced meal for all three of their children. Even simple foods like eggs and yogurt have become too expensive for their pockets. Often they are even forced to make a choice between children. And so their two eldest daughters, Thisuri and Ayama, aged 11 and 8 respectively, give up yogurt in favor of their third youngest, Hiruni, who is only one year old and cannot do without it.

The voice of Save the Children. For Julian Chellappah, Country Director of the NGO for Sri Lanka, These data show how the crisis in the country continues to spiral out of control and how children are bearing the brunt, because nutrition and education are both at risk . “Parents should never have to choose who in their family gets to eat. Everything we are seeing here points to the real danger of a full-blown hunger crisis. The Sri Lankan government is providing the necessary support to some families through welfare schemes, but we need rapid development of social protection systems with the support of the international community. This is an emergency situation that requires an emergency response.”