No photograph can truly capture the atmosphere inside the tea plantations of Sri Lanka. Most of them are located in the central and southern regions of the country, covering vast areas of the island. Within these plantations, generations of people are born, grow up, and spend their entire lives without ever leaving the endless rows of low green tea plants. Many have never known a world different from their own — a world marked by open sewers and wild animals wandering among the rubbish.
For them, there is often no way out. Access to education is extremely limited, as are wages and food supplies. Escaping this reality is nearly impossible, because the system keeps them tied to the plantations through a lack of awareness of the world beyond them. While one part of the country continues to develop and prosper, the unwritten rule of the plantations remains unchanged: “If you are born here, you die here.”
It is precisely from this seemingly unreachable reality that one of Stella Onlus’ projects was born: Sunday Lunch. The goal of the initiative is to provide children living in the plantations with a nutritious, protein-rich meal once a week — every Sunday. The opportunity to eat healthy and nourishing food is something many of us take for granted, yet for these children it can represent the only proper meal of the day.
The project was launched in collaboration with Father Charles, who in turn sought support from local churches for the organization and distribution of meals. Parish priests from different communities help young people of all backgrounds, not only Catholics, and spend time with them, offering moments of care and attention that allow them, at least mentally, to escape the harsh reality surrounding them.
