Feed families & rebuild 3000 futures in Sri Lanka

Dear Friends and Supporters,

In this season of reflection, connection and hope, we are reminded that one act of kindness, one introduction, one belief in someone's potential can spark a life-changing journey. This report celebrates two such stories — Vishva* and Indika — each a powerful testament to second chances, family, and the quiet heroism that defines our work at Their Future Today.

Abandoned at just three years old, Vishva* spent his entire childhood in a Sri Lankan orphanage. When he turned 18, like so many care leavers, he left with nothing. No home. No family. No support. No idea where to turn.

But someone did hear him: Nimmu Kumari, TFT’s Alternative Family and Foster Care Manager, and a fellow care leaver who knew exactly what he was facing. She helped him find a safe place to sleep and a job in a local shop. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was a start.

Vishva* shared a dream with her: he wanted to work in hospitality. He began saving what little he could for a training course, knowing it could take years to raise the 150,000 rupees (£395) needed.

Thanks to a chain of introductions — Sharlyn Stafford to Fazal Fausz, via Xenia Stafford and Ryan — Vishva* was connected to Fazal, a TFT supporter and successful businessman. Upon hearing his story, Fazal simply said:

“It’s something I can and I must. No need to thank — I will do my utmost to support.”

Vishva* has now been awarded a full scholarship to study at NEST Academy, a professional hospitality training institution that offers international employment opportunities after graduation.

He’s nervously but excitedly begun this life-changing journey to become a professional chef.

And already, his gratitude is shining through.

Despite everything he’s endured, Vishva's* first question wasn’t about what more he could receive — it was about how he could give back.

Recently, he joined Nimmu for a session at an orphanage as part of our House of Worries to House of Dreams programme. There, he shared his newly acquired skills with the children, teaching them how to make fish buns.

“The joy was contagious,” Nimmu said. “The buns were a big hit, and the children were thrilled — not just to eat, but to learn from someone who truly understands them.”

These moments are about more than baking. They’re about hope. About showing children who feel forgotten that they matter — that they can dream, create, and one day thrive.

If you’d like to send Vishva* a few words of encouragement, please do so — either by replying to this message or sending a private note. We’ll be sure he receives them and knows he is not alone on this journey.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some drive tuk tuks, wash their children’s clothes by hand, and make the unthinkable decisions no parent should ever have to make.

We first met Indika — a devoted single father — at a moment of heartbreaking desperation. With no access to childcare or preschool, and needing to work to support his eldest daughter, Indika made the agonising choice to place his two youngest children into an orphanage.

Still, every week without fail, he visited them — never missing a Sunday. He brought love, but every goodbye broke their hearts all over again.

That’s when TFT stepped in.

Through the courts, we supported Indika in reuniting his family. We tore down the broken wooden shack he called home and built a safe, solid concrete house with running water and electricity. We provided free preschool places for the children, as well as a local childminder, allowing Indika to return to work.

When we visited the family last year, Indika was out earning an income as a tuk tuk driver. He had remarried, and proudly introduced us to his beautiful new daughter. The children were flourishing, safe, together, and thriving.

From devastation to dignity. This is what your support makes possible.

These stories —Vishva's*, Indika’s — are not isolated moments of magic. They are part of a growing movement. A wave of belief, action and compassion that’s helping rewrite what’s possible for Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable children and families.

They are also a reminder that change doesn’t always come from big announcements or grand gestures. Sometimes, it starts with the smallest act: a connection, a message, a meal.

We are so proud of Vishva*, who sent us this week a beaming photo of the buns he baked on his course. The joy on his face says it all. He is not just surviving — he is becoming.

And as we continue to advocate for children to grow up in families, not institutions, we remember why we do this work. Because every child deserves a future. And every future begins with someone who cares.

Thank you for caring. Thank you for believing. Thank you for helping us build a world where second chances are possible and no one is left behind.

With love and gratitude,
Lynn, Joel & the TFT Team

One connection at a time, we are transforming lives. Let’s keep going.