In Pictures: Village pleads for assistance to help children attend school

This World Children's Day, we shine a spotlight on a village in Galnewa, Anuradhapura where most of the children are unable to regularly attend school due to extreme poverty. 

The village, known as "Aliwanguwa," has 10 children who have stopped attending school altogether, while about 50 others don't attend school on a regular basis. 

Villager S.R.W. Shantha Kumara stated that the main issue that has resulted in students either dropping out of school or attending on an irregular basis is that their parents don't have a steady source of income. This means that the children can't afford food or school equipment. Some parents also fail to supervise their children properly, he added.

While about 10 children have dropped out of school, about 50 or so others are only going to school on one or two days a week. 

Villagers also noted that, with many young girls dropping out of school by about age 15, underage marriage was common in the village. They urge authorities to look into their plight to ensure their children can regularly attend school. 

Text and Pix by Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa