What We Do
Save the Children has been working in Sri Lanka since 1974, supporting children and families for over 50 years. As a leading humanitarian and development organisation, we have worked across multiple districts to deliver programmes in education, child protection, child rights governance, health and nutrition, livelihoods, and emergency response. Everything we do is focused on ensuring that every child can grow up healthy, stay safe, and learn.
Since 2018, with support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), we have partnered with the Government of Sri Lanka and national organisations to implement the McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. Through this initiative, we support more than 109,000 children each year across 948 primary schools and 548 early childhood care and development (ECCD) centres in eight districts. The programme strengthens school feeding systems, improves literacy outcomes, and enhances children’s health and nutrition.
We are there for children in times of crisis. From the 1978 cyclone in Batticaloa to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, decades of conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2022 economic crisis, we have supported children and families through some of Sri Lanka’s most challenging moments.
Today, in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, we continue to respond through a locally led approach, focusing on child protection, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education in emergencies, and household economic recovery. We deliver this support through our network of national partners with a strong presence in affected communities.
