Ravages of civil war spanning for over two decades and the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 have brought immense hardships into many thousands of families. Women and children are affected adversely and are becoming vulnerable.
Thousands of women have been made widows and they have lost their livelihoods and income generating resources. As a result, many mothers are unable to provide basic necessities and education for children in a home environment and they are compelled to send them to orphanages.
In the Batticaloa district alone there are 22,115 families headed by women. These numbers are likely to be higher in other districts in the North and East regions of Sri Lanka.
Tsunami of 2004 and the recent escalation of violence have lead to sudden surge of widows in the community. The social services and charitable organisations are unable to cope.
Most of these young widows have the potential to become involved in income generating projects. AEDU-International aims to empower them in projects that will ensure a stable income, and by doing so promote retention of their children within their community.
We aim to extend this programme to those families who are fostering the children. A stable home environment will not only enable the orphans to overcome the trauma of loss sooner, but also give the foster parents who have lost their loved ones a focus in life.
We are committed to providing a stable home environment with a stable income which will help these underprivileged children.
Most of these young widows have the potential to become involved in income generating projects. AEDU-International aims to empower them in projects that will ensure a stable income, and by doing so promote retention of their children within their community. 