Child Action Lanka (CAL) in Sri Lanka is one of our trusted ministry partners. The heart of their ministry is transform the lives of disadvantaged children in Kandy. Hunger, neglect, exploitation and abuse are just a few of the many challenges that face the children who live and work on the streets as beggars.
CAL uses two centres to provide breakfast and lunch to the children. The facilities also provide education to children considered worthless by their own community. This is an attitude that says that children are born 'bad' and cannot be redeemed. The purpose of this ministry is to enable disadvantaged children to realize the possibilities.
"Child Action Lanka was started out of a desire to give kids hope and a future," explains CAL Director, Ms Debs Edirisinghe. "We work with street kids and underprivileged kids - kids who have a very high risk of falling onto the streets... (we) educate them, care for them, clean them and love them - make sure they reach their dreams."
During the September tour of Sri Lanka, the Australian Cricket team, led by Captain Michael Clarke visited the CAL centre in Kandy. The full 15 member squad and 12 man support staff arrived to present signed shirts and bats and played a game of backyard cricket with the children. The children, aged from 2 to 18 years, were keen to impress their heroes with some big hitting and inspired fielding.
In media interviews the next day, many of the cricket team admitted the game of backyard cricket was probably the highlight of their busy tour. For the Child Action Lanka children, this could well be the highlight of their lives. However this simple gesture shows the children that no dream is impossible. watch the interview with Michael Clarke onutube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_2vf4x9dMXc
CAL relies on us to reduce the burden of providing enough food each day, but with rising costs of food the pressure to make ends meet is mounting. Debs depends on us to help feed the children that their own community has abandoned. Next year, she plans to open 3 more centres in North Sri Lanka - in Galle, Batticaloa and Kilionchi. These centres will serve the children who lost their parents during the civil war.
Because of your past support the EveryChild EveryDay program has been able to provide daily meals to 35,081 children in 20 countries through 28 ministries. Please prayerfully consider supporting our EveryChild EveryDay program so that we can continue to feed children around the world.
There are more children trapped in the poverty cycle. There are more children who have no hope for the future. There are more children who are considered 'worthless' by people who should be their guardians and protectors. Tragically there are more children who are simply dying from hunger & its related causes.
According to a recent UN study, 10.9 million children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the deaths. That means that 17,918 children die from hunger every single day!
That statement continues to shock me every time I think about it.
You can help!
For just £4, the cost of just one take-away, you can provide 100 hot, nutritious meals to hungry children in the world's poorest countries. If you gave £4 every week you could provide 5,200 meals every year!
I can't do everything to solve that problem on my own, but I can do something to reduce that number. I ask you to prayerfully consider whether you can join me and do something too.
Will you help take away hunger? Donate today at www.feedthehungry.org.uk or call 0845 519 6025
No comments:
Post a Comment