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CERI team in Sri Lanka

CERI in Sri Lanka – from Kinship Care to Advocacy and More

Written by Ian Forber-Pratt, MSW, CERI Director of Global Advocacy

On December 26, 2004, life changed for the small island country of Sri Lanka. A devastating tsunami hit the Eastern coast, leaving thousands of children orphan and hundreds of thousands of families destitute. After being asked by the Sri Lankan government to help, our initial work focused on helping children left without parents. We restored children to loving families through kinship care, and empowered families to care for their own.

Helping a Nation Recover (2005-2015)

2004
Tsunami hits Sri Lanka killing 30,000
2004
2005
Sri Lankan government asks CERI to help with children left orphaned by tsunami
2005
2006
CERI registers in Sri Lanka and begins Kinship Care program to help orphaned children
2006
2005-2016
CERI finds loving families for 204 children orphaned by the tsunami
2005-2016
2008
CERI begins Micro-Enterprise Development program
2008
2008-2014
60 families find sustainable self-employment through micro-enterprises
2008-2014
2013
CERI begins Food Security program to address the nutritional and developmental needs of children
2013
2013-2018
400 families learn how to provide the right nutrients and calories to underweight children
2013-2018

Over the past three years, we introduced a new way to transform the way children are cared for in Sri Lanka – child protection advocacy.

We began this after seeing families unable to create the life they wanted for themselves and their children. What they needed was a way to stand up for their rights and influence their government for the better.

We worked with local, state and national levels of governments and advocated for the rights of institutionalized children.

Helping a Nation Put Family First (2016-Today)

2016
CERI joins hands with De-Institutionalization and Alternative Care network (DIAC), the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, the Department of Probation & Child Services, the National Child Protection Authority and other decision-makers to advocate for new child protection legislation that could benefit all children, not just those affected by tsunamis
2016
2017-2018
Over 100 professionals are trained on family-based care through conferences organized by CERI
2017-2018
2017
The 18+ initiative is launched to help youth aging out of foster care have the support systems they need
2017
2018
CERI contributes to new national child protection policy in Sri Lanka
2018

Today, we continue finding loving homes for children and strengthening vulnerable families.

Our child protection advocacy work in Sri Lanka ensures future generations care for children in families first and  institutions as a last resort option. In the years to come, we will continue to partner with government to implement new policies that put children and families at the forefront.

While caring for the vulnerable is still the focus of our work, we advocate for children and families. We believe in every child’s right to family and every family’s right to safety and wellbeing. Together, we are changing the way children are cared for in Sri Lanka.

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