By Naffin Nasriya, TON Sri Lanka

According to the Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Sri Lanka is in the process of implementing a foster parent concept in order to feed extremely malnourished children. This is in response to the fact that more than 20,000 children on the island nation are on the verge of starvation as a result of the unprecedented financial crisis.

According to a report that was issued last month by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations, an estimated 6.3 million people in Sri Lanka are dealing with moderate to severe acute food insecurity, and their situation is expected to worsen if adequate assistance for life-saving measures and support for livelihoods is not provided.

According to a report that was released by UNICEF a month ago, more than 5.7 million people in Sri Lanka, including 2.3 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance. This places Sri Lanka among the top ten countries with the highest number of malnourished children, and it is anticipated that these numbers will continue to rise.

Health Minister Rambukwella stated that efforts are currently being made by the government to acquire some funding from donors in order to address the severe malnutrition that is prevalent among children who have not yet begun attending school. He further stated that malnutrition has increased by 2 percent, and agreed that it is not surprising, but warned to be watchful.

He then went on to say that there could be five to ten extremely malnourished children in each division of grama sevaka, and that things are not going to be better anytime soon and the food supply chain is not going to improve as expected. He also said that the reality is people are feeling it.

According to the plan, a parent or a sponsor will be responsible for the care of at least one child and will see to it that the children recover from acute malnutrition.

Up to 30,000 children with severe malnutrition are expected to benefit from the proposed foster parent model, according to the minister. The funds that are raised for the program will be used to improve the children’s nutrition level and keep them healthy until there is an increase in the availability of food.

As a result of the former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to ban imports of agrochemicals overnight without providing any alternatives for farmers to ensure a healthy and abundant harvest, Sri Lanka is currently dealing with a food shortage.

The minister said, “This malnutrition will reflect perhaps when we are not there. There will be weak children when they are becoming 10-12 years old. It will be a huge challenge for us. So this situation has to be arrested,”.

“The harvest in the next cultivation season is going to be good with the fertilizer usage. Basically we have a gap of about three months to manage,” he said referring to the time period the foster parent scheme may be required.

According to the minister, under the program, children will be helped by periodic checks, and an additional food quota will be ensured for malnourished children according to their requirements. This will be part of the program.

“Once we see the success of the trial, we will start with Nuwara Eliya and Monaragala which are the most affected areas,” he said.

This will be a good initiative for those children who are suffering from hunger; however, the question that needs to be answered is how many parents will be willing to do this while the entire country is in the midst of an economic crisis. One of the difficulties that even members of the country’s upper class must contend with is inflation. The costs of goods, transportation, and services have skyrocketed in recent days. Despite all of these challenges will foster parents continue to provide for the needy? Something to think about.