The United Kingdom’s restaurant ‘Hoppers’, partnered Hemas Outreach Foundation to provide nutrition packs to children in Piyawara Preschools to combat malnutrition in the formative years of early childhood development.
The economic crisis has affected children and families in vulnerable communities leading to malnutrition and starvation across the country. In an effort to address the issue, ‘Hoppers’ collaborated with the Hemas Outreach Foundation to meet the nutritional needs of the children at the Piyawara Preschools through their ‘Feeding the Future’ initiative.
The ‘Feeding the Future’ project, with the assistance of the Early Childhood and Care Development (ECCD) Officers around the island, will provide nutrition packs valued at £25 to 367 families from 15 of the worst-affected Piyawara preschools in Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Moneragala, Mannar and Ampara.
The short-term aim of the ‘Feeding the Future’ project is to provide essential nutrition to the preschool children to ensure their development needs are met.
This will also motivate the families to ensure their children attend the preschool regularly for their early learning. In the longer term, once the crisis at hand has abated, the project plans to focus on other needs. Executive Director, Hemas Outreach Foundation / AYATI Trust Sri Lanka Shiromi Masakorala said: “Malnourishment has always been a major problem for children in vulnerable communities, and through this project, we will be able to combat this in communities that are affected the most by the present crisis.‘’