In Sri Lanka, the Order of Malta’s Relief Corps is engaged in reuniting with their families the great number of children abandoned in institutions.

There are 21,000 children living in institutions nationwide, of which only 3% are orphans. The others have almost always been left there because their families do not have enough money to give them a future. Hence Malteser International has developed a project for bringing children entrusted to these institutions closer to their parents.

The work of the Order’s Relief Corps is mainly concentrated in the Galle district, but its effects have been felt all over Sri Lanka. Malteser International has lobbied for the application of laws to help poor families; it has promoted awareness-raising campaigns to explain how important it is for children to grow up in their own families; it has provided work opportunities for mothers in difficulty; it has helped needy parents to provide decent housing for their children; and it has ensured that the children in institutions spend at least a part of the day with their families.