ABDF

The floods on January 2011 are turning out to be Biblical in proportion; at their height they covered 25% of the island, at least according to the Sri Lankan government. Also, 40% of agricultural lands were submerged, and given that the rice harvest was almost ready, this portends food shortages and price increases for the year.

Here are some pictures sent in by friends.

As it is, food and fuel prices have skyrocketed in the District and the flood waters have contaminated all the fresh water wells around.

ABDF has decided to try and help by sending emergency cash to some of the flood victims. This cash will be spent by each recipient to buy food, water, and fuel. Read the rest of this entry »

A basic, but functional barbershop

The 30 year civil war in Sri Lanka came to a cataclysmic end in April 2009. Winning a war is easy; managing the peace is far more difficult. Sri Lanka is faced with an overwhelming set of post-war problems, ranging from how to help the hundreds of thousands of displaced refugees, to rebuilding infrastructure, to changing budget priorities from one of warfare to peacetime. One of the stickiest and most sensitive issues is what to do with the thousands and thousands of defeated LTTE soldiers. Read the rest of this entry »

Ah, to be a fifth grader again.

Each August, the Ministry of Education gives a nationwide test to all fifth graders. In actuality, it’s a poverty eradication program. Those that get above a certain score, which changes year by year depending on how many students are tested, receives 500 rupees (about $4.50) a month through the rest of their academic career; this amount goes up to 3,000 rupees a month for those who get into university. Given that a student can have an additional 13 years of education, over the long term this can mean a lot of money. The money is meant to be spent on school supplies and uniforms, and those from families above a certain income level are ineligible.

Needless to say that the exam is very difficult; it’s designed to winnow out all but the best students. If you are a child living along the coastal strip of Batticaloa, you have a lot of advantages; schools are much better equipped, and there are many after-school “tuition” classes you can take to bone up on the exam. As a result, town-living students get almost 100% of the money.