Though my cultural roots all lead to the country of Sri Lanka, I recently discovered how little I know of the problems that are occuring there.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa became Sri Lanka's seventh president in November 2019. Because of lockdowns throughout the last few years, the Sri Lankan economy had arrived in 2022 in tatters, which meant it was extremely difficult to pay for imports, especially for fuel, gas, and electricity.
The economy then plunged into oblivion, with fuel supplies being affected first. Essentials and medicines were now difficult to buy and food supplies were also attacked, because of the difficulty of transporting vegetables, fish and fruit. This can be said to be the worst economic crisis in decades for Sri Lanka, with food prices rising tremedously.Millions of people have been falling into poverty. Rights such as education, health and basic needs are being threatened.
Protests in large-scale have been happening since early Spring of 2022, advocating for the resignation of the President. From demonstrations in front of the president’s home to using the internet to popularise demands for his exit, three months later, their wishes had been granted.On the 14th of July, he resigned and Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as the President of Sri Lanka on the 21st July, being the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the sixth time.
P.Sivapartham, a teacher at Vavuniya kovilkunchukulam Government School said that, “The education that students, especially rural, have lost for a whole month due to the fuel shortages was beneficial. Without Zoom for many students, they were unable to do much, and had to come back to school afterwards to catch up. Exams have been pushed back, and the situation for many families here is still difficult, people helping each other to get through struggling times, when food and fuel shortages are at high”
There are schemes such as Ghedora Connects that have been set up, but the government needs to help more with the vulnerable that are struggling at this moment of time. We can also help, by giving a few pounds to various charities such as the Sri Lanka Red Cross, and spreading the word about the situation.
