Our plan in Sri Lanka

Plan is working at the grassroots level in Sri Lanka to empower communities to bring real and lasting change, so that their children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Plan has been working in Sri Lanka since 1980, and currently has programs in rural communities across eight districts which aim to address the following issues affecting children:

• Under nutrition and anaemia
• Poor knowledge on sexual and reproductive health
• Diseases due to lack of access to safe water and environmental sanitation
• Poor quality primary education and lack of access to early childhood care and development services
• Lack of food security
• Youth unemployment and under employment
• Not fully exercising their rights

Plan’s programs and strategies to address these issues include:

Education

Plan Sri Lanka works to improve the quality of educational services for children by supporting the implementation and improvement of early child care development projects and quality of basic education, advocating for the implementation of new policies and promoting the participation of children by developing their skills through school media clubs and peer groups.

Household economic and food security

With over 400,000 children living in extreme poverty on less than US$1 per day, Plan Sri Lanka works to support families to have the resources to meet their basic needs by providing financial and technical support.  Plan also works to rehabilitate minor irrigation systems to ensure economic re-integration, food security and prevent environmental degradation, establishing vocational training for youth and livelihood development centres and constructing sustainable roads and modes of transport.

Child rights

Plan Sri Lanka supports government authorities to set up and train institutions at all levels about child protection.  Plan also works to raise awareness on child rights through children's media, supports government institutions to modernise their systems and improve birth registration rates and develops the skills of children and youth for participation in advocacy, partnerships, community based organisations and development education.   

Health

Plan Sri Lanka works to improve child and youth health by supporting the establishment and expansion of the community health volunteer system; supporting the primary health care system with an emphasis on nutrition and school health; supporting initiatives that create awareness among adolescents to improve their knowledge on reproductive health and hygienic behaviour; and advocating nationally for the equal distribution of resources to the poorer provinces.

Water and sanitation

Plan Sri Lanka is improving access to water and environmental sanitation in school and homes through the establishment of sustainable, water and sanitation systems in communities and schools, while also improving hygiene education and practices in communities and schools.

Country Facts

Country	Sri Lanka	Australia
Flag
Population	20.5 Million	21 Million
Language	Sinhalese, Tamil and English.	English
Capital	Colombo	Canberra
GDP per capita (USD/year)	1,033	$37,300
Life expectancy	74.3	81.5
Access to safe drinking water	79%	100%
Literacy	90.7%	100%
Source:	United Nations: Millennium Development Goals Report 2006