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Non-profits face shrinking kitty and growing demands from needy
View(s):By Tharushi Weerasinghe
“In general, the requirements have increased but the funding is low,” noted the spokesperson for a well-known mutual aid organisation.
Children recieve donations from a charity founded by cricketer Roshan Mahanama.Pic by Hiran Priyankara
The organisation targets about 200,000 families but has only been able to cater to the needs of half of them. There are one million needy families on its database. “Our work isn’t meant to create a dependency, but to act as a buffer for vulnerable communities.” The organisation runs community kitchens, community gardening programmes, and food banks.
“While we benefitted from donors who undertook the projects on a large scale in previous years, due to the post-covid economic difficulties around the world, we have, unfortunately, experienced quite some difficulty in terms of sufficient donations this year,” said Timothy Daniel, CEOWord and Deed Lanka, a non-governmental aid organisation that works with low-income communities to provide them with basic and educational necessities.
“In December, we conduct a Christmas Project to provide children with stationery packs, school shoes, school bags, as well as ration hampers for their families.”
However, falling donations and price increases of everything, have forced cutbacks of the usual mutual aid activities.
“I believe that with the current economic situation that is deeply impactful in our country, but also seen around the world, most people are concerned, quite validly concerned, with saving up or investing in long-term plans,” the spokesperson noted adding that what little remains is donated to humanitarian or charitable work. This, unfortunately, means that not-for-profit ventures like Word and Deed Lanka have very little financial resources.
The Christmas Project in previous years helped at least 350 children and their families from the estates in the Nuwara-Eliya district and surrounding areas such as Hatton, Kudagama, Dimbula, Rothers, Malliyappu, Watagoda, and Bathford. This year, it is looking to assist 250 children and their families.
Even empowerment and awareness-based organisations are constrained.
“Our physical activities have gone down to almost nothing when compared with previous years,” said Ranmal Premathilaka, secretary of the Youth Action Network of Sri Lanka, a volunteer organisation.
YAN runs drug awareness programmes, youth vocational programmes and Sustainable Development Goals-related empowerment programmes for youth from rural areas.
But operating costs have risen.
“For example, if one of our volunteers in Anuradhapura is tasked with an event but live in Nochchiyagama, the (transport) cost is quite high.”
Most of its funds come from the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC), but YAN’s mandate is wider. “Even buying refreshments for programmes is a struggle because food is extremely expensive.”
The increase in telecommunication levies has made online meetings more costlier.
December is usually when assessments, review, and reorganisation for the next year are done. Meetings for these purposes are now online completely.
“Handling 100 volunteers on an online meeting is quite challenging,” Mr Premathilaka said. YAN has also cut expenses on paper by using digital documents.
“YAN trained more than 8,000 people in 2021, but this year we probably reached about 4,000.’’
Some organisations, however, said donors have become more generous.
“With the economic collapse in the country and the global attention on the need for humanitarian assistance, we have received wider support,” noted Marlene Perera, a spokesperson for LEADS.
The organisation, as part of the UNOCHA Humanitarian Assistance programme, provided support for vulnerable communities which have multiplied.
LEADS has provided relief to 8,330 families and 2,990 children since May 2022. It has mainly focused on giving vouchers for dry rations for low-income families, school meals for selected schools in Colombo, Ratnapura, and Hambantota Districts, and the Community Kitchen for a group of children in Dehiwala.
Livelihood support is provided to daily wage earners, less-abled people, women-headed households, and families with survivors of child abuse. They have also advocated child protection, education, and safety and wellbeing of children. Medical aid was given to several important hospitals in Colombo, following requests.
The other segment of organisations that had managed to pull through are Government-run operations.
“We usually run multiple social services centres and operations have been largely uninterrupted,” noted the director of Social Services Anoja Herath. The ministry was to add one more to its nine vocational training centres.
About 500 children benefit at present, and this will rise to 650. Accommodation and food are state funded. Since budgets are pre-approved, the facilities had run without large-scale interruptions. The ministry also partners with other organisations for rehabilitation programmes for the less-abled and to provide basic needs. “Some programmes are even funded more by private individuals than the Government.”
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