Meet Madusha, the teenage entrepreneur from Sri Lanka

Give a child a better future by helping to meet community needs with long-term solutions.

Sponsor a child

It won’t make your jaw drop to hear that the generosity of Australians like you powers most of our work.

For many Australians, sponsoring a child is the most efficient and rewarding way to help people – and for the people we work with, like Madusha, your decision to sponsor a child can be the spark that ignites permanent change.

Weeraketiya is a small town in southern Sri Lanka. Before World Vision arrived, Weeraketiya’s community faced myriad problems that made daily life a struggle.

Farmers couldn’t meet their basic needs because they couldn’t get fair prices for their produce, their crops were continuously dying and the quality of their livestock was poor. A whopping 72 percent of the population lived in poverty.

Madusha, a young boy in Weeraketiya, was part of that 72 percent. He has a medical condition that requires him to visit a hospital twice a month. He likes to ride his bike with friends.

Today, Madusha is a sponsored child.

According to the United Nations, the average annual income in Sri Lanka is roughly 14 percent of what it is in Australia. Before the Weeraketiya project, Madusha’s family struggled to pay his medical bills and tuition. His mother suggested that the family pick coconut kernels – which coconut oil is extracted from – and sell them at the local markets for more income.

So, through the Weeraketiya project, World Vision provided the family with 72 coconut plants. A small gesture, like the planting of trees, can have a long-lasting and deep impact on the wellbeing of a family. Now, they can afford to pay for Madusha’s medication and schooling. Through Child Sponsorship, Madusha goes to camps and receives books, stationery, and more.

Madusha’s entrepreneurial spirit, ambition and drive have been brought to life by his experiences as a sponsored child. Where there was always an innate sense of commitment to life and success within him, there now exists the means to follow his calling. Madusha’s saving up for a computer, which he will need to study IT in year 10.

One day, he hopes to be a civil engineer.

Meet Madusha the teenage entrepreneur

Madusha has turned a bedroom shop - and some coconuts - into a future for him and his family
Sponsor a child Equip a child with an education, and therefore a brighter future

Madusha was just one of thousands of people touched by the Weeraketiya project.

Today, Madusha runs a shop from his bedroom where he sells payphone cards, toothpaste and more. His family was once in need, but are now doing well enough to give back to their community.

Madusha set his shop up with the help of his parents after they’d started receiving more income from their coconut kernel sales. Since Madusha’s medical bills and tuition weren’t stretching the family so thin anymore, they could afford to encourage and support his natural inclination towards helping fellow community members.

Madusha can’t help but smile a big smile when he’s serving customers in his shop. He knows that he’s giving back to the community, and at such a young age, he already understands the value of seizing his own destiny.

But his destiny wasn’t the only one made brighter by the Weeraketiya project. Thousands of his fellow community members have plenty to look forward to as well.

With the support of our child sponsors, we worked with the community of Weeraketiya to give their infrastructure a complete overhaul. More than 1,200 farmers increased income and improved nutrition for their families after being supported to set up fruit and vegetable gardens. In addition, more than 820 families increased their savings after being given small, low-interest loans.

Women in the community also earn more, now that income generating opportunities such as brush-making and coconut kernel selling have been introduced.

And to tackle the issue of low quality livestock, 175 families were given dairy cows. Milk from dairy cows can either be sold or drunk. But in both cases, the cow’s milk is a valuable asset for the family throughout the cow's entire life.

TOP ROW: People in the community make brushes out of coconut husks; BOTTOM LEFT: Madusha in his bedroom shop; BOTTOM MIDDLE: Madusha serves a customer; BOTTOM RIGHT: Madusha proudly holds up a coconut that fell from one of the trees World Vision Sri Lanka provided for his family.

Children were vulnerable to abuse prior to the Weeraketiya project because the education system lacked resources and trained teachers. On top of that, diseases such as diarrhoea and malaria were rampant through the community because there was a lack of access to clean water.

27

children’s clubs

were formed, increasing child safety in the community.

91

percent of children

now have access to pre-school, compared to 43 percent in 1998.

90

percent of families

now have access to safe drinking water, compared to 35 percent in 1998. World Vision installed a complex filtering system to provide clean water to more people in the community.

Sponsoring a child helps the sponsored child and their community – but the value of your generous sponsorship doesn’t end there.

For the empathetic Australian after a deep and rewarding supporter experience, Child Sponsorship is the best choice available.

As a child sponsor, you’ll be part of the story of true progress in the world. You’ll receive a folder containing your sponsored child’s photo and personal details, information about your sponsored child’s community, extra video and photo content, and more. You’ll be updated regularly on your sponsored child’s health and education.

You’ll also have the opportunity to write to your sponsored child, and share a little bit about your world with them. In some cases, sponsored children have even learned a new language exclusively through communication with their sponsor!

You’ll also be informed about the achievements the community’s made with your support. With the option to receive regular editions of the World Vision magazine, free news updates via email or both, you’ll have your finger on the pulse of meaningful progress in the world.

But most importantly, you’ll establish a long-lasting personal connection with your sponsored child through letters, e-letters, cards and photos, and you’ll see exactly how you are transforming the lives of hard-working, inspiring people just like Madusha.