Samantha Power, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), who was in Sri Lanka for a two-day official visit, yesterday (11) met the urban women of Colombo and learnt about how they go through untold hardship and suffering due to the economic crisis.
She observed that the urban women are in dire straits where it is difficult for them to provide square meals for their children and even send them to school.
“I met urban women in Colombo. I saw the pressure of suffering they had to go through for a living. These mothers have been waiting in queues for two or three days to buy gas and fuel for their homes. Their children are left alone at home. without anyone to take care of them. They have to skip certain meals. Because they don’t have enough money to buy the food they want. Today they cannot even buy a pair of shoes for their children to go to school. Some schools have allowed children to come without shoes. This economic crisis has severely affected every person in the country.
While making these observations, she had added a video on her Twitter social network.
Mrs. Samantha Pawar met the President yesterday and met with other government officials as well as opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and a number of political party representatives and exchanged views on how the government works.
On this occasion, Sri Lanka Freedom Party General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya of the JVP, MA Sumanthiran of the TNA Rishad Badurdeen and several public representatives including Mano Ganehsan have met Samantha Power.