UCF, in cooperation with Feed the Hunger, launched a children’s feeding programme in Sri Lanka in March 2012. The programme serves to feed needy children in locations throughout Sri Lanka where UCF Ministry has its operations. The programme is conducted in collaboration with churches of other denominations, and does not discriminate against any children whether they be Christian or not, Sinhala or Tamil, etc. The children regularly report that they like the taste of the food and often ask for second helpings.
This program is effectively conducted island wide by UCF to children in dire need; to the tea plantations of the Badulla area through the USCOD Center on the recommendation of the Catholic Bishop of the Uva Province; in Polonarruwa, Dambulla, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala by the UCF Centers, and to the northern part of Sri Lanka to children of affected families of Sri Lanka’s civil war years back, in areas such as Kilinochchi, Vavuniya etc. through Rev.
Dr. A W Jebanesan, the head of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka. Additionally, the nutritional food packs have been provided to the Archdeacon of Kurunegala, Rev. Fr. Nimal Wickremaratne to be given to the needy children of the churches in the Kurunegala dioceses and Kandy. Further, it has been reported to be a great blessing and encouragement to the needy children in these areas. Further, many thousands of needy children in the south received these packs through a Member of Parliament in the Matara District.
Many letters of appreciation have been received commending this program as well as requests for additional supplies.
Pastor Thomas Hilsberg and his wife from Germany were on holiday in Sri Lanka from 5th to 23rd November 2018. During this time they paid a visit to the UCF. Pastor Hilsberg and his wife are long standing friends of Rev. Ranjan Fernando.
They visited the UCF Bethel Fellowship Center in Neboda along with Rev. Fernando on the 20th. Pastor Hilsberg conducted a brief service where he spoke on the grace and mercy of God.
After the service there was a time of fellowship with the believers after which he joined in our relief programme in Neboda where we distributed boxes of dry rations to the families affected by the recent flood.
On the morning of 21st November Pastor Thomas and his wife visited the UCF Bethel Nursery School and in the afternoon visited the slum fishing community children in Moratuwa and took part in the feeding program.
We had a great time of fellowship and his visit was a blessing and encouragement to us.
We are pleased to report that we completed flood relief programmes for those affected by the recent floods and landslide in Moratuwa and Neboda areas. The programmes were carried out in our Fellowship Centers in Moratuwa and Neboda. We distributed boxes of dry rations containing 16 food items, including coconuts to 100 families who were affected. In the Moratuwa slum community where many people are living in huts, the roofs of their houses were blown off. Some of the children of these families attend our nursery school while some attend our church services at Bethel Fellowship Center Moratuwa.
In Neboda many families lost their belongings to the flood, while we were unable to hold church services there for two Sundays due to the rising water levels. In Neboda, there were many non-Christians too who benefitted from the relief programme. Our field staff selected these families after having visited them and assessed their needs.
These families are very thankful to the UCF for this kind gesture in their time of need.
July 2016
Mrs. Melinda and her team from FTH, USA visited UCFSL from 26th – 30th July 2016. They were impressed seeing the work of UCF in different parts of the country, specially the feeding programmes. They were able to visit Moratuwa, Neboda, Dambulla, Madatugama, Polonnaruwa and Ibbagamuwa and engage in feeding programes conducted by the UCF.
March 2015
Welimada is situated in the Uva Province of Sri Lanka. Most people living in this area are farmers by profession who depend heavily on the rain. During the rainy season they are able to cultivate their crops. Whereas during the dry season they face much hardship to the extent that even the wells run dry and water for consumption and day-to-day needs is not available. Many low income families live in the rural areas. Recently Rev. Fernando visited two rural schools in the remote area of Alawathugoda village (Nilmini pre-school) and in Bogahakumbura village (Sithumini pre-school). Each school consists of 15 students, each manned by one teacher who serves on a volunteer basis since the parents cannot afford to pay the teachers. He realized the needs of the children when the teachers explained the great difficulties the children are facing. UCFSL has decided to provide humanitarian food packs to them. Rev. Fernando visited them with food packs on 12th March, and they are thankful to UCF for its generosity.
April 2015
UCFSL has continually been conducting feeding programs for the children of the Moratuwella slums who live on the beach. The recent programme was conducted by Lasantha and his family who live in proximity. The programmed consists of providing food for children who do not have adequate nutritional food. However, apart from the need for food, the children require school supplies, medicines, and clothing. UCF feeds 65 children on a regular basis. We warmly welcome your prayers and assistance for these children from whoever wishes to do so. We note that God has a special concern for children success
The Feed the Hunger organization, based in the USA, has very generously sent UCFSL another container load of high protein food packs to help the needy. These food packs will be distributed at different locations of the country among many churches, for the needy communities and the children they consist of. We have been receiving these food packs during the past year as well, and it has been a tremendous blessing, much appreciated by the recipients. UCFSL has received several letters of appreciation from the various sources to whom the distribution has been assigned.
Boxes of Humanitarian relief food were provided to the Rev. Dr. A. W. Jebanesan, President of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka at the Methodist Church Headquarters, Colombo on 25th September 2014 who will provide it to the needy children of war affected families in the North of Sri Lanka. UCFSL collaborates with all churches in Sri Lanka and work together to fulfill God’s purpose.
August 2014
This community situated along the beach in the Moratuwa area consists of many families living in shanties; their main occupation being fishing. Most of them do not have a steady income and face severe hardship. Not being properly educated they have no alternative sources of employment.
UCF has stepped in to alleviate their situation and established a ministry in this community. The needs, especially that of the children, has been earmarked with UCF providing Humanitarian Relief Food Packs for 70 children on a regular basis. The programme is a tremendous relief to the parents who at times are unable to provide their families, particularly the children, even with one meal for the day.
These poor and destitute families are also provided with medicines, clothing and some basic needs of the children who attend the UCF Slum Project (Beach Children’s Center) which has been established for this purpose.
Please pray for the success of this project and the vast untapped numbers among this community to whom UCF would like to provide additional relief, and share the love of Christ, by educating the children, and taking care of their need, but are limited by inadequate resources.
August 2014
This community situated along the beach in the Moratuwa area consists of many families living in shanties; their main occupation being fishing. Most of them do not have a steady income and face severe hardship. Not being properly educated they have no alternative sources of employment.
UCF has stepped in to alleviate their situation and established a ministry in this community. The needs, especially that of the children, has been earmarked with UCF providing Humanitarian Relief Food Packs for 70 children on a regular basis. The programme is a tremendous relief to the parents who at times are unable to provide their families, particularly the children, even with one meal for the day.
These poor and destitute families are also provided with medicines, clothing and some basic needs of the children who attend the UCF Slum Project (Beach Children’s Center) which has been established for this purpose.
Please pray for the success of this project and the vast untapped numbers among this community to whom UCF would like to provide additional relief, and share the love of Christ, by educating the children, and taking care of their need, but are limited by inadequate resources.
UCF, along with Archdeacon of Kurunegala Ven. Nimal Wickremaratne, provided some Humanitarian boxes of food to the ‘House of Joy’ girls’ home in Talawa which is under the administration of the Church of the Living Christ. The girls living in this home are orphaned. UCF was able to provide humanitarian relief in form of food boxes from Feed the Hunger for the benefit of the girls who are living there. We also provided boxes of food to St. John’s Baptist Church in Kegalle for their children’s home as well as St. Andrew’s Church in Thalampitiya and other areas under the Kurunegala Diocese. It is a great privilege the Lord has granted us that UCF can work very closely with other churches throughout Sri Lanka in order to bless and encourage them.
Humanitarian Food Boxes provided by Feed the Hunger were provided to the needy children in Kandalama, Dambulla area, through UCF. The food is generally provided to the children of needy families that do not have an adequate income for their living. We are thankful to Feed the Hunger for their great commitment in providing this food which is a great blessing to them.
Further, food boxes were provided to St. John’s Church in Gatambe, Kandy and Church of Christ the King, Rathmeewela, Kandy.
UCF has generously supported the USCOD Center in Badulla to provide children’s food boxes in order to feed the needy children in tea plantations in Badulla. They have been providing the food to children in more than 15 places including nursery schools in the area. This has become a great blessing to the needy children in the tea plantations in Badulla.
Picture depicts providing food boxes to the Catholic Bishop of Badulla, who provides them to the needy children in the area. He highly appreciates the service of UCF which is carried out among the needy.
Feed the Hunger children’s feeding programme has been a tremendous blessing to the various communities in various parts of the country, especially to the children that sometimes do not have even a single meal for a day. There has been an incredible progress in the children that are being fed in the programmes.
Below pictures depict some children being fed at a feeding programme in the fishing community in Moratuwa.