Colombo, Sri Lanka – Two years ago, Shiromi* made an incredibly difficult decision: The mother of four moved to the Middle East to seek employment as a housemaid, leaving her children and husband behind in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Her goal was a better life for her children. Her plan was to earn money—more than she could in Sri Lanka—and send it home to support her children’s education and to build them an adequate shelter. It turned out to be harder than she had imagined.

The Realities of Migrant Work 

Shiromi is one of many from this South Asian country who leave behind what they know for a chance to help their families. Because the majority of these migrating people are not well educated, most men find only low-paying jobs as unskilled laborers, and many women work as low-paid housemaids. These workers are extremely vulnerable and rarely share the same rights or protection as citizens of the countries where they work. Most are underpaid, and many are not paid at all. Some are abused and live in terrible conditions. Still, the possibility of providing a better future for their children drives hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans each year to move away in search of work. 

Shiromi’s husband, Kumara, is a day worker at a vegetable market in a town near Colombo. He earns so little from this work that he struggles to feed their four children. In the two years Shiromi has been gone, she has not been able to send much money home to the family. In fact, she never found a permanent job, just odd jobs here and there. 

Why Parents Cannot Afford Free Education 

Because of Shiromi’s and Kumara’s poverty, they have not always been able to afford education for their children. Such situations are common in Sri Lanka, where education is officially free but where parents are expected to cover the costs of uniforms, books, bags, pencils, paper, and transportation. When parents are not even able to feed their children adequately, these basic expenses seem like unattainable luxuries. Desperate to find a way for their children to go to school—and gain an opportunity for a better future—many parents take the risk and look for jobs abroad. 

Ten-year-old Priyanga, Shiromi’s and Kumara’s oldest child, often misses school not only because of the financial con¬straints of the family, but also because she has had to serve as a surrogate mother to her siblings, Kasun, 8, Hiruni, 6, and Asitha, 5. Though her grandmother visits the house often and helps Priyanga with cooking, cleaning, and watching the two younger children, Priyanga’s household responsibilities keep her away from class an average of three days each week. Priyanga’s grades have reflected this divided attention. 

Finding Support through a CDC

Since February 2012, Priyanga and Kasun have been attending Colombo Child Development Center (CDC), where they receive daily tutoring from Nazarene volunteers and teachers hired from local schools. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries staff and volun¬teers also visit the family in their home and provide counsel to them. They have encouraged the children’s father and grandmother to prioritize Priyanga’s education, and they continue to try to get to know the family so that they can support them. 

The CDC’s staff do their best to support Priyanga academically when she comes to the center in the afternoon. Currently, Priyanga’s teacher is working hard to help her prepare for the fifth-grade scholarship exam she will take this year. The stakes are high. If students do well on the exams, the government sends them to academically strong schools, which provides more hope for success in the future. 

The good news is that Shiromi plans to return to Colombo soon to be with her family. This will give Priyanga the chance to focus solely on school even as she continues to attend the CDC. But while Shiromi is away, NCM staff and volunteers will continue to love and support Priyanga and other children whose parents are working in other countries.

* All names have been changed.