Sri Lanka

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Sponsors have helped Sri Lankan children since 2010, when Compassion teamed up with churches on the island to fight poverty.

southern Asia

sports: cricket, volleyball

foods: rice, curries, fish, kiribath (a rice pudding)

celebrations: Thai Pongal, Vesak/Buddha Day, Eid al-Fitr, Christmas

grows some of the world's best teas

elephants, leopards, sloth bears, pangolins

Poverty Pitfalls


People can't find jobs that pay enough to meet their basic needs.	Sponsored kids go to school and learn skills that will help them get jobs as adults.
Some kids are forced to work.	Church workers help protect children from people who may force them to work.
Children ages 5 and younger are at a high risk of dying.	Compassion helps moms keep their babies healthy with food and medicine.

a little bigger than West Virginia

money: rupee

Many Sri Lankans drink at least three cups of tea a day.

used to be called Ceylon

Birds are seen as good luck, so people build nests for sparrows in their homes.

traditional musical instruments: Béra, Thammátama, Daŭla, Răbān

Printable: Discover Sri Lanka Download Print

Stats	Sri Lanka	United States 🇺🇸
Population	22,409,381	339,665,118
People Living in Poverty	6.7%	15.1%
Languages	Sinhala, Tamil, English	English, Spanish, Chinese, other
Religions	Buddhist 70.2%, Hindu 12.6%, Muslim 9.7%, Roman Catholic 6.1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 0.5%	Protestant 46.5%, none/other 26.1%, Roman Catholic 20.8%, Jewish 1.9%, Mormon 1.6%, Muslim 0.9%, Jehovah’s Witness 0.8%, Buddhist 0.7%, Hindu 0.7%
Typical Family Income	$13,000 per year	$63,700 per year