Asia Frequency
Sri Lanka: solidarity as a bulwark against famine
Audio 03:26
At the market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 10, 2022. © AP/Eranga Jayawardena
By: Jelena Tomic Follow
4 mins
A serious economic crisis has been shaking Sri Lanka for several months.
The Sri Lankan government has just granted its civil servants, ie 1.5 million people, one day off per week, without reduction in salary, to cultivate their own vegetable garden.
A solution that aims to reduce fuel consumption and partially fill food shortages.
But millions of other Sri Lankans will only be able to count on themselves.
As the country is threatened with famine, a chain of solidarity begins to form.
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Faced with a failing and corrupt power that has plunged the country into an unprecedented crisis, the Sri Lankans are getting organized.
Many young people from the middle or wealthy class use their networks to benefit the poorest families.
“
Like many Sri Lankans, I am very attached to my country, I love it.
And in these times of crisis, we try to help each other as we can
,” says Chanchala Gunewardena.
"
While our politicians look more after their own interests and do nothing to help the people, there is a positive side to all of this: Sri Lankans are finally united and helping each other
."
► To read also: The economic situation of the country pushes Sri Lankans to emigrate
Chanchala created 4 years ago a small export-oriented agri-food company.
With the crisis, she converted to charity.
We have managed to raise more than $20,000 so far, especially from the diaspora.
This money has made it possible to distribute food parcels to the too many families who are today affected by this crisis.
Last week we shared 1,000 parcels in the Colombo metropolitan area mainly to daily workers, children from poor families and single mothers.
Each package contains rice, lentils, flour, sugar, food supplements, oil, coconut or powdered milk.
The economic situation has deteriorated terribly.
This crisis has greatly weakened the lives of people who were trying somehow to get out of it.
No one wants to find themselves in this situation, it hurts their dignity.
And for me it's not about doing charity.
We are just doing what is our duty.
Behind mutual aid, a political fight
Mohamed runs a café in the center of the capital.
He, too, invested in raising funds and distributing aid, first and foremost, to the poorest workers in Colombo, the tuk-tuk drivers.
“
They try to get some gas to work a whole day and feed their families, it's so difficult and often the vehicle does not belong to them, they have to pay for their rental.
The tuk-tuk is therefore their only means of subsistence
,” explains Mohamed.
Then he adds:
We see them waiting for hours in front of service stations.
Thanks to our association and donations from individuals, we have already been able to distribute more than 500 packages to tuk-tuk drivers.
We said to ourselves, poor people, they have to wait 12 hours and sometimes up to 24 hours.
We just want to help people, we don't want to see them suffer.
»
► To read also: Sri Lanka: in default of payment, the country faces a serious food crisis
But the distribution of basic necessities is also a political act.
Mohamed wants to help those fighting for a change of power.
“
There are those who demonstrate and those who organize the protest movement.
We want to help them, because no one else cares
,” says Mohamed.
“
Our friends abroad participate in donations, send us money and we buy rice, biscuits.
In this way, the protesters can stay strong and continue to demonstrate.
We went to the protest site, without saying who we were or where the money came from.
We simply told them: this is for you, you are fighting for the good cause
”, he continues.
A fight for a good cause, Mohamed is not the only one to think so.
Most of the demonstrators who gather every day in Galle Face Square in front of the residence of hated President Gotabaya Rajapaksa come to demand his dismissal and the departure of an entire political class deemed corrupt.
But many also come here to have their only meal of the day, cooked by volunteers and thanks to numerous donations from individuals and charities.
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