Sri Lanka (MNN) — Sri Lanka has long been a country filled with civil war and poverty. As can be expected in a hostile region like this, some of the greatest victims are pregnant women, young mothers and infants.
In response to the continual victimization of women and children, Compassion International has recently opened an office in Sri Lanka. The office will begin work by implementing 14 Child Survival Programs to some of the poorest communities near the country's capital, Colombo.
Beginning outreach with a Child Survival Program is not typical for Compassion. The ministry more frequently begins its work with its Child Sponsorship Program, which "works to permanently break the cycle of poverty for children through their teenage years." The Child Survival Program provides nutrition and medicine for mothers and their children to get a healthy start on life. Hopefully this program will serve as a preventative measure as well as an easy transition for child sponsorship down the road.
According to Voice of the Martyrs, Canada, Christians have been on the receiving end of a great deal of persecution in Sri Lanka, but they also have been known to bridge a gap of peace between fighting groups. Pray that Compassion International would be warmly welcomed as a peaceful organization in the country. Pray that many would come to know the Lord in Sri Lanka because of Compassion's Christ-centered ministry.
The Child Survival Program gets its funding from donors who pledge $20 a month. To participate, click here.
