Taking Care of 50 Vulnerable Sri Lankan Children

International Women’s Day is celebrated each year on March 8. This year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” highlights the value of generosity. Whether we interpret it as giving in cash or kind, volunteering time, or sharing one’s skills, each act of generosity creates a positive impact on individuals, communities, and organizations. When we gain, we are inspired to give again, setting in motion a cycle of empowerment and growth.

For Sasikumar Padmini, as for many women disadvantaged by gender, gender bias was something she accepted as both a cultural and social norm. Growing up as a young girl in the hill country, she often heard others dismiss her as useless simply because she was a girl. The turning point came when she married. On receiving his very first salary, her husband placed it in her hands and said, “Take my salary and do the best for our family” - a gesture of empowerment that Padmini had not previously experienced. That simple act strengthened Padmini’s self-belief. From that moment on, there was no turning back. When women are entrusted with responsibility, they thrive–and their communities rise with them.

Padmini was first introduced to the trustees of The Sunshine Charity in 2013, when she was selected as one of four women to participate in an Organizational Development Grant programme aimed at strengthening systems, structures, and policies within the Human Resource segment. She showed remarkable commitment and enthusiasm at every workshop she attended. At the end of the two-year programme, she secured employment as a child-carer at a small-town day care facility in the Central Province.

As the Sunshine Day Care expanded and enrolment grew, the trustees interviewed Padmini for the position of Assistant Teacher. What followed was a steady progression: teacher training workshops, a course in pre-school education at the Open University in the Eastern Province, and eventually a Diploma in Early Childhood Development and Preschool Education awarded by the Centre for External Degrees of the Eastern University. Her journey became unstoppable. When the Sunshine Day Care formally registered as a pre-school, Padmini was appointed Head Teacher.

Padmini’s is an exemplary journey and a remarkable story worthy of celebration on International Women’s Day.

• Celebrating International Women's Day (PDF)