An unprecedented economic crisis is unfolding in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan rupee is plunging to a record low against the U.S. dollar. Inflation rates are continuously on the rise and have already reached double digits. Import controls are in effect that is leading to island-wide shortages of essential items. And the country is teetering
Sri Lanka has been faced with increasing frequency and intensity of disasters recently due to changes in weather patterns. Disasters such as flash floods, prolonged droughts and landslides occurring due to extreme weather have deprived lives and livelihoods while affecting almost all economic sectors of the country adversely. The dry zone of Sri Lanka receives
by Sakshi Selvanathan and Ganga Kariyawasam (22nd November 2021) At present, the effect of climate change is quite significant in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, where agriculture is one of the main livelihoods of the rural communities. As a tropical country, Sri Lanka gets seasonal rainfall with a dry spell of less or
By Sakshi Selvanathan and Ganga Kariyawasam (04th November 2021) Communities in the dry zone of Sri Lanka are very much dependent on rainfall for agriculture. Therefore, keeping a record of rainfall helps, and there’s no better way to learn about the rains than observing and experiencing them firsthand. As such, the Climate Resilience Integrated
By Ganga Kariyawasam, Ishan Erandika & Sakshi Selvanathan (06th October 2021) If we aim to start a manufacturing business, we have to spare a large portion of the capital for raw materials. Interestingly, the raw material of Udeni Dhammika’s handicraft business is an aquatic weed known locally as ‘Japan Jabara’, and is one that
By Sakshi Selvanathan and Ganga Kariyawasam – 27th July 2021 One does not usually envision lush greenery – or even vegetation in the least – when urban settings are brought into discussion. But a few inspirational women farmers are engaging in innovative agricultural practices in those very same urban settings, and are quite simply,
By Sakshi Selvanathan (08th July 2021) The month of May 2021 was witness to a local yet gargantuan maritime disaster which dominated international media headlines for weeks afterwards: the cargo ship ‘X-PRESS PEARL’ (with little under 1500 containers onboard carrying chemically hazardous cargo) caught fire about 16 kilometers off the coast of the Colombo commercial
22nd June 2021 Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society was and is still at the forefront of COVID-19 relief efforts. Hence, providing medical equipment to uplift the medical sector is a key priority. Upon the request of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, The Honorable Mahinda Rajapaksa, to the Honorary
By Sakshi Selvanathan – 31/05/2021 It has been more than a year since the emergence of the debilitating COVID-19 pandemic, and it continues its ruthless rampage against the lives and security of countless individuals across the international and national strata. And this was no different in Sri Lanka. COVID-19 prevails even after the numerous interventions
By Sakshi Selvanathan and Ganga Kariyawasam Quite unsurprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic is one extra challenge added to a long list of challenges faced by farmers in terms of selling their harvest – one among them being the stark reality that the produce of their hard work during the season may be their only income
