ACT 4 Sri Lanka - Community Kitchen in Putiya Nagar, Mankulam and Bandarawela
Sri Lanka is facing the worst economic crisis in its history and heading towards a humanitarian crisis. Latest surveys reveal that 86% of households are using at least one coping mechanism such as reducing food intake, including skipping meals. The cost of food inflation is more than 60% and this means people are struggling to feed their families. The reports suggest that malnutrition among children and pregnant women is alarmingly high and the highest in South Asia.
In response to this crisis, the ACT foundation has established a hub with an in-house community kitchen in the town of Bandarawela, located in the Badulla district. This is one of the most underprivileged towns with more than 60% of the population living under the poverty line. We supply almost 200 meals a day based on the need of the underprivileged local community.
The primary objective is to serve simple, nutritious, good-quality vegan meals every day during lunch hour. Given the difficulties in securing packaging materials, the food will only be served to persons walking in with hunger. The kitchen will also pay special attention to providing nutritious vegan food for pregnant and feeding mothers and children less than fifteen years old.
The ACT hub will also aim to provide other services such as organizing medical camps, women empowerment, etc. in the future.