7/29 UPDATE: Thank you all so much for the support and for helping meet + exceed the initial goal of $2,500! The money is all on its way to beneficiaries, and your generous support made it also possible for us to feed one more group of people in need: children with physical/learning disabilities at the Sri Chandrasekara Special Needs School in Panadura.

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7/16 UPDATE! Thank you SO much for your empathy and donations! The first collection of $3,588 is on its way to trusted advisors in Sri Lanka who will make sure it reaches those in need. We are still welcoming donations as the food crisis continues. THANK YOU!

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My home country Sri Lanka is suffering from an economic crisis that threatens to become a full-blown humanitarian emergency . And the most vulnerable are bearing the brunt. Children and elderly people are without food. Families are without livelihoods. And animals are being abandoned on the streets because people can barely afford to feed themselves.

As heartbreaking stories flood my social media, it was not easy to pick a problem to "fix." But I have started this GoFundMe campaign to help feed orphaned children, elders with disabilities and stray cats/dogs. Thanks for visiting this page.

 

• You can indicate how you want your money spent by adding a comment below or contacting me directly. 

• My network of friends in Sri Lanka will make sure the money gets to those in need with integrity.

• Given the spiraling of the rupee, every dollar counts.

 

HELPING CHILDREN + ELDERS

2.3 million children in Sri Lanka - nearly 1 in 2 - currently require some form of emergency assistance (UNICEF). With help from my friends and family in Colombo, donations and/or basic food items (rice, potatoes, lentils, etc.) will be distributed to two rural orphanages (Gonawala Dankotuwa Convent with 36 children + Holy Angels Convent with 12 children) and the Sambodhi Home for disabled elders in Matara. If funds allow, we will also help a few families in the south of Sri Lanka whose parents have lost jobs. To help this cause, please write "children/elders" + $amount in the comments section below. 

 

HELPING STREET ANIMALS

The current crisis means that the kind souls who feed stray animals, now have more mouths to feed while battling historic inflation. I will distribute these donations among 5-10 families who (despite having financial challenges of their own) are dedicated to the care of Sri Lanka's abandoned puppies, kittens, dogs and cats.To help this cause, please write "animals" + $amount in the comments section below.