Last handful of fish: Crisis pushes more Sri Lankans into poverty Nilanthi Gunasekera, 49, poses with a handful of dried fish, the only protein her family will have until next week, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 8, 2022. “Before the economic crisis, we ate well and we served meat or fish to our kids at least three or four times a week. Now fish is out of the reach of our family and so is meat,” said Gunasekera.— Reuters COLOMBO: In her outstretched palms, 49-year-old Nilanthi Gunasekera holds her family’s last remaining handful of dried fish – a reminder of Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in decades. She is just one of the millions of Sri Lankans battling a calamitous decline in living standards, as they find themselves forced to skip meals, ration out medicines and turn to firewood in place of cooking gas. “Now fish is out of the reach of our family, and so is meat,” Gunasekera said, grasping the shards of fish. “For two weeks we couldn’t afford any meat or fish. This is our last protein.” Manel Peiris, 68, poses in her kitchen, amid the countrys economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 2, 2022. I am a heart patient and have to take medicine every day, she said. Hospitals used to issue medicine for three months. But with the onset of the economic crisis, hospitals dont have medicine and so we are asked to buy from pharmacies. But one months cost is around Rs 3,400 which I cant afford, so I buy only for one week at a time. Sometimes my husband has to borrow or get an advance from his workplace. — Reuters Manel Peiris, 68, poses in her kitchen, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 2, 2022. “I am a heart patient and have to take medicine every day,” she said. “Hospitals used to issue medicine for three months. But with the onset of the economic crisis, hospitals don’t have medicine and so we are asked to buy from pharmacies. But one month’s cost is around Rs 3,400 which I can’t afford, so I buy only for one week at a time. Sometimes my husband has to borrow or get an advance from his workplace.” — Reuters Hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, rising oil prices and economic mismanagement under previous governments, the island nation is in the throes of its starkest crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. Rampant inflation, snaking fuel queues and shortages of essentials such as food and medicine have driven many Sri Lankans into poverty, while months of street protests ousted the previous president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in July. More than a quarter of the population of 22 million is now struggling to secure adequate, nutritious food, the United Nations says. “We really can’t afford to buy a gas cylinder or a cooker,” Gunasekera said, after thieves broke into her home and stole the family’s cooker and gas cylinder a few months ago. “So now we are forced to cook with firewood.” As desperation grows, the government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe is seeking a multi

1. Last handful of fish: Crisis pushes
more Sri Lankans into poverty
#handful #fish #Crisispushes #more #SriLankans #poverty
Nilanthi Gunasekera, 49, poses with a handful of dried fish, the only protein her
family will have until next week, amid the country’s economic crisis, in Colombo,
Sri Lanka, August 8, 2022. “Before the economic crisis, we ate well and we
served meat or fish to our kids at least three or four times a week. Now fish is out
of the reach of our family and so is meat,” said Gunasekera.— Reuters
COLOMBO: In her outstretched palms, 49-year-old Nilanthi Gunasekera holds
her family’s last remaining handful of dried fish – a reminder of Sri Lanka’s worst
economic crisis in decades.

2. She is just one of the millions of Sri Lankans battling a calamitous decline in
living standards, as they find themselves forced to skip meals, ration out
medicines and turn to firewood in place of cooking gas.
“Now fish is out of the reach of our family, and so is meat,” Gunasekera said,
grasping the shards of fish. “For two weeks we couldn’t afford any meat or fish.
This is our last protein.”
Manel Peiris, 68, poses in her kitchen, amid the country’s economic crisis, in
Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 2, 2022. “I am a heart patient and have to take
medicine every day,” she said. “Hospitals used to issue medicine for three
months. But with the onset of the economic crisis, hospitals don’t have medicine
and so we are asked to buy from pharmacies. But one month’s cost is around Rs
3,400 which I can’t afford, so I buy only for one week at a time. Sometimes my
husband has to borrow or get an advance from his workplace.” — Reuters
Hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, rising oil prices and economic
mismanagement under previous governments, the island nation is in the throes
of its starkest crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.

3. Rampant inflation, snaking fuel queues and shortages of essentials such as food
and medicine have driven many Sri Lankans into poverty, while months of street
protests ousted the previous president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in July.
More than a quarter of the population of 22 million is now struggling to secure
adequate, nutritious food, the United Nations says.
“We really can’t afford to buy a gas cylinder or a cooker,” Gunasekera said, after
thieves broke into her home and stole the family’s cooker and gas cylinder a few
months ago. “So now we are forced to cook with firewood.”
As desperation grows, the government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe is
seeking a multi-billion-dollar bailout in talks with the International Monetary Fund
and is tapping major allies, from India and Japan to the United States.
But major financial assistance is still months away, making tough austerity
measures likely, so that few Sri Lankans will see conditions improve soon.
“Now I bathe at a public well more often in order to save money,” said auto
rickshaw driver Sivaraja Sanjeewan, 31, adding that rising costs of food made it
very tough for him to pay water and electricity bills.
Shortages persist
As depleted reserves have dried up supplies of petrol, diesel and gas, lengthy
fuel queues, sometimes persisting for days, have become a daily feature this
year.
The shortages have brought a boom in demand for firewood.

4. Gamage Rupawathi (R), 60, her husband W. A. Susantha (C), 45, and their son,
Krishan Darshana (L), 25, pose at their home, amid the country’s economic
crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 2, 2022. “When I had a fruit business I was
earning a significant income,” Rupawathi said. “But with the drawn-out lockdowns
during the pandemic and now this economic crisis I don’t have money to restart
my fruit stall.” — Reuters
Krishan Darshana said he had joined his father in breaking up logs to sell as
kindling after getting laid off from a job in construction during the crisis.
“It’s very hard work,” said the 25-year-old, who now makes do with a cup of tea
and a couple of biscuits as the day’s only meal. “But what else can I do when
there are no jobs for us?”
Times are also tough for those with health problems.

5. “Government hospitals have run out of medicine so they ask us to buy from
pharmacies — but we don’t have any money,” said Krishan’s mother, 60-year-old
Gamage Rupawathi.
She suffers from asthma, cholesterol and arthritis, but now finds she has just
three days of drugs left.
“After this is over, what do I do?” she asked tearfully, gesturing to an inhaler she
uses twice a day to help her breathe.
Children suffer
With education already disrupted by the pandemic, children were among the
worst hit by the economic crisis that followed, as parents scrambled for supplies
and authorities worried about growing risks of malnutrition.
“Our main concern is the education of our children,” said Gunasekera. “But we
are unable to buy even exercise books.”

6. Sageeth Dinsara, 8, displays his notebook, amid the country’s economic crisis, in
Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 2, 2022. “Educating children has become very
tough,” said Dinsara’s grandfather. “In addition to skyrocketing prices and other
expenses for low income families such as us, the biggest obstacle is the
transport fare to and from school.” — Reuters
Her husband has to beg his employers for the money to buy them, she added.
Some parents find it hard to scrape together the fares for children’s trips to
school, while others cannot afford to buy them even simple treats, such as
ice-cream or sweets.
Oshada Fernando played with a home-made kite his uncle fashioned from
bamboo scraps and shopping bags. His parents were unable to afford a gift for
his birthday last month.
“I was wishing for a racing car,” said the 11-year-old. “I hope at least for my next
birthday I get this as a present.”

7. Source link