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Catholics stand with fellow Sri Lankans hit by economic crisis

Caritas Batticaloa and St. Joseph Vaz Charity are pillars of support for the island nation's suffering population
Father Jesuthasan (second from right) with the family of Francis Ragel who are being supported by Caritas Batticaloa to overcome the economic crisis that has hit Sri Lanka since March. (Photo: Vanessa Dougnac)

Father Jesuthasan (second from right) with the family of Francis Ragel who are being supported by Caritas Batticaloa to overcome the economic crisis that has hit Sri Lanka since March. (Photo: Eglises d'Asie)

Published: May 27, 2022 09:25 AM GMT
Updated: May 30, 2022 08:00 AM GMT

For Francis Ragel and his family, survival is reinvented each morning in eastern Sri Lanka after a crippling economic crisis hit this island nation after the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.

"Thank God, we still manage to eat, sometimes by rationing or by collecting something, like coconuts," says 69-year-old Ragel, a carpenter in Jyantipuram village, near Batticaloa.

Often they go to bed hungry. An injury to his hand made Ragel unable to continue his profession, depriving the family of their only source of their income. He now has the additional responsibility of taking care of a married daughter as her husband, who was expected to support them, disappeared one day.

Ragel, his wife, daughter and grandson now survive with the support of Father Jesuthasan, who heads Caritas, the Catholic Church’s social service wing, in the Batticaloa region.

"Without him, we all would not have survived," admits Ragel as his wife and daughter cannot hold back tears of gratitude and hardship.

Father Jesuthasan said the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in Sri Lanka have left “villagers poorer, especially in this region, a former war zone."

The lack of foreign currency also meant an inability to import daily essentials such as bread, rice, sugar, oil, wheat, biscuits, milk powder, petrol and diesel

"I am very worried about the coming months because many families are approaching us to ask for help, especially food. The prices of basic foodstuff are very high and life is paralyzed by the economic crisis,” he said.

He said villagers have learned to toughen up through the 20 years of civil war that ended in May 2009 when the Sri Lankan army crushed the rebellion demanding an independent homeland for ethnic Tamils. “But the current situation related to the economic crisis remains extremely worrying," he said.

The worst economic crisis since the country’s independence in 1948 began to cripple Sri Lanka in March, the result of a series of poor political decisions related to import-export policies that adversely affected the agricultural sector and depleted the government's foreign exchange. The inflation caused by the Ukraine war complicated the crisis.

The country was already reeling under the impact of the pandemic, which halted the tourism sector, considered the backbone of Sri Lanka's economy. The collapse of the tourism industry put some 200,000 people out of work in 2020 and most of 2021.

Tourism, which was worth some US$475 million in 2018, could gather only less than $1 million in 2020. With the shortage of foreign exchange, Sri Lanka had to default on its foreign debt obligations of $4 billion for 2022.

The lack of foreign currency also meant an inability to import daily essentials such as bread, rice, sugar, oil, wheat, biscuits, milk powder, petrol and diesel. It resulted in food shortages and a tenfold spiraling of prices.

Thousands protested on the streets demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was blamed for the ill-conceived policy decisions that led to the crisis. For more than 45 days, protesters have camped outside his offices on the Colombo waterfront.

For its part, the Catholic Church stood with the protesters early on. White-robed priests and nuns are conspicuous at the site of the protests in Colombo, and they frequently address the gatherings.

"People are lining up and unable to get essential goods and services," said Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo. "The church stands with those who are suffering."

"The Catholic community is mobilized. Through our churches and an interfaith forum, we wanted to express our solidarity with the suffering of the people due to the economic crisis"

In Batticaloa, Father Jesuthasan also joined the protest demonstration along with representatives of Muslims and Hindus, who make up the Tamil minority in the north and east of the island.

"The Catholic community is mobilized," the priest said. "Through our churches and an interfaith forum, we wanted to express our solidarity with the suffering of the people due to the economic crisis."

Father Jesuthasan said he has decided to strengthen aid programs, giving priority to food security. "For example, we distributed 4,000 fish seeds to build a fish pond, and this week the people were able to pull out 300 kilograms of fish," he said.

Caritas Batticaloa continues to distribute food rations, including sugar, flour and rice, which were started during the pandemic.

"Food is the main demand, so people are in need. We are thinking of extending these distributions to the two districts of Ampara and Batticaloa. Some products, such as milk powder for children, are unavailable, and others, such as sugar, are unaffordable," said Father Jesuthasan.

"It is not only the poor who are affected but the whole population. Because there is little or no fuel, people have to put in more hours of work, or wait hours in queuing at gas stations for a tanker to arrive.

"Cooking with gas is no longer possible, so people use wood. The power cuts also paralyze activities. Even the heat is hard to bear at this time of year, but the fans don't work."

Fishermen cannot go far into the sea for lack of fuel, construction workers are jobless for lack of cement, and small trades requiring power tools are out of work.

"There are shortages of certain medicines in pharmacies and hospitals, and these shortages clearly threaten the health system," the priest said.

"We have also organized private tutoring to support students. Right now, we are planning food distributions. We would also like to be able to buy bicycles, which are expensive but are vital for people's mobility” 

In Batticaloa, a group of Catholics have formed the St. Joseph Vaz Charity to help needy people. In an initiative that began during the pandemic, they are using a network of 22 parishes in rural areas through priests who alert them.

"We are currently distributing school supplies to children because parents can no longer afford to buy them," said Michele Willington, one of the founders.

"We have also organized private tutoring to support students. Right now, we are planning food distributions. We would also like to be able to buy bicycles, which are expensive but are vital for people's mobility.” 

Dinesh, the association's president, said: "We are trying to raise private funds, but even our local donors have less money because of the crisis. They are struggling to respond to the appeal. It's not just the poor who are affected but the whole population."

Ragel said everyone in his family does some odd job. "Between all of us, we still manage to bring in 25,000 rupees ($70) a month to live on. But that's not enough to pay for private lessons for Malcolm, my grandson.”

In this family, all hopes are pinned on 17-year-old Malcolm, who is doing his pre-university studies, as they look upon his future salary.

Caritas is behind them as a pillar of support. The organization is supporting the construction of their house and helping them find occasional jobs. It also provides food items and chickens to them and other poor families in the village.

Thanks to the church’s support, they are not sinking into misery.

* This is an adapted version of an article that appeared in Eglises d'Asie (Churches in Asia), a publication of Paris-based Missions Etrangères de Paris (MEP) or Paris Foreign Missions Society.

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