Support poor Sri Lankans affected by Covid

My Name is Nilesh Cooray. My friends and I are fundraising to help people who have lost the only income to put bread on the table due to the current covid-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka.

A few weeks ago, I spoke to a friend who lives in Lanka. He mentioned that someone had broken into their house but had only taken the formula packet (Baby milk). He said, " This is what people are going through right now to feed their kids." I have two young kids, and this story stroke a note in my heart. It was a sad one. We have been giving what we can to support the poor & the hospitals that are crumbling under pressure. I honestly thought what we are doing is enough. But today, I realised that is not. Many people want to help but don't know where to start or don't trust the system that is supposed to take care of the people.

I have arranged a few friends in Lanka already providing dry rations to poor families out of their own pocket for the past few months. They have indicated that if funds are available, they can increase the supply as more and more people find it difficult to survive. Most people are barely getting one meal a day. This includes kids and people of all ages.

Even though I had started writing this campaign, I was hesitant to create this without knowing how to be transparent with the process. So I have devised the best possible way I can think of. We will upload invoices and photos or whats distributed as we get funds and answer any questions as best as possible.

A rough price list for the items they have been providing is already posted on the shared google sheet. We will try to document what we buy and give the information as we go along using the link here.

Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject, and your verb agree to serve…. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

― Martin Luther King, Jr.