Is sustainable farming the answer to end child malnutrition in Sri Lanka?

By Leenah Wahab  

The Serendip Be the Change Foundation (SBTCF), founded in 2021 during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, focuses on addressing child malnutrition and food insecurity.   

In 2022, the foundation launched its flagship initiative, “Education Without Hunger,” aimed at providing long-term food security by teaching communities to grow their own food. The programme began in Delft Island and has since expanded to multiple schools across the Jaffna Peninsula, empowering children and families to improve their nutrition through school and home gardens.  

16,000 children under the age of 5 are affected by severe acute malnutrition in Sri Lanka, according to a 2023 Government Report.  

“These freshly harvested vegetables are cooked with rice and lentils in the school kitchen, enhancing the government noon-meal scheme. By doing so, we aim to provide malnourished children with well-balanced meals,” Founder Poongkothai Chandrahasan said at a press conference recently.  

The school children are taught how to grow tomatoes, chilli, beetroot, ladies’ fingers and more, often selling them to neighbouring villages to raise money for eggs, milk and other essentials. “The skills empower them to build home gardens, thereby promoting lifelong food security,” she said.  

In coalition with the Agricultural Ministry, the programme has reached 15 schools in Jaffna, impacting 10,000 vulnerable children. “With funds and awareness raised from our ‘Dine with a Cause’ charity gala, we plan to expand into other districts, starting with Puttalam,” they said. In the aftermath of the economic crisis, 98% of households faced increased food prices, with 74% of the households could not afford to buy food or daily essentials in the last six months of that year.  

Ms.Taruna Hinduja, co-owner of Bask by Coffee unveiled the second chapter of the ‘Dine for a Cause’ initiative, an exclusive culinary event featuring Chennai-based celebrity chef Deepesh Chandran from Bask by Coffee at Maniumpathy. The Serendip Be The Change Foundation invites partners, sponsors, and community members to join in this vital mission to improve the health and well-being of children across Sri Lanka.