Longest Waiting Children

World Vision has been involved with Sri Lanka’s tea estate workers for many years and Lindula AP is an extension of this work. Tea plantation workers have been marginalised in Sri Lanka for a very long time. Originally brought in from South India over 150 years ago, they were eventually exploited for work and isolated from the rest of the country. World Vision’s interventions focus on the well-being of children to ensure that their health, nutrition, education and social needs are met.

In Lindula AP, the majority of the people work as pickers and labourers in the tea estates. They are paid daily, and when work is not available, they face a severe shortage of income.

Also, children lack proper education, and 45% of the population under 12 years old are illiterate. This is due to long travel distances, poor transport facilities and lack of finances for education resulting in a dropout rate of 14.5%, almost 10 times the national average.

In terms of healthcare and child protection challenges, 74% of people live in dismal housing. Whole families live in a single room that is linked to others to form a “line house”. There is little ventilation, and no privacy, and conditions are often unsanitary. Only 67.1% of households have their own latrines and the remaining families share common latrines or defecate in open areas.

World Vision started an AP in 2014 after a thorough assessment of Ende in 2012. Measured against standard indicators of economic development needs, Ende emerged as an area where the vulnerability of children needed to be urgently addressed. 

In Ende, traditional attitudes towards children are harsh and unsympathetic. They are viewed as free labour and are often denied their right to study so that they can work to supplement the family income. Cases of physical and sexual abuse are not taken seriously and are unreported or left unsolved, affecting and scarring children emotionally and mentally. 

In terms of healthcare concerns, the main issues that compromise the health of children are the lack of access to clean water, the prevalence of unhygienic behaviours and poor sanitation systems. Approximately 40% of the community practices open defecation as there are no proper toilets. 

Also, Ende's economic development falls behind national statistics. Their main source of income is agriculture but the productivity of existing farming methods is low due to a lack of understanding, poor management, pests and diseases. 

World Vision has been involved with Sri Lanka’s tea estate workers for many years and Lindula AP is an extension of this work. Tea plantation workers have been marginalised in Sri Lanka for a very long time. Originally brought in from South India over 150 years ago, they were eventually exploited for work and isolated from the rest of the country. World Vision’s interventions focus on the well-being of children to ensure that their health, nutrition, education and social needs are met.

In Lindula AP, the majority of the people work as pickers and labourers in the tea estates. They are paid daily, and when work is not available, they face a severe shortage of income.

Also, children lack proper education, and 45% of the population under 12 years old are illiterate. This is due to long travel distances, poor transport facilities and lack of finances for education resulting in a dropout rate of 14.5%, almost 10 times the national average.

In terms of healthcare and child protection challenges, 74% of people live in dismal housing. Whole families live in a single room that is linked to others to form a “line house”. There is little ventilation, and no privacy, and conditions are often unsanitary. Only 67.1% of households have their own latrines and the remaining families share common latrines or defecate in open areas.