'No way out': Struggling Sri Lankans face uncertain future
The storming of Sri Lanka's presidential palace was the culmination of an ongoing economic crisis as fuel shortages bit. Many Sri Lankans feel that they have no way out and now fear for the future."It is a situation of life and death here. No jobs, no money to buy food nor a way out from the country," said Shanthi, a 50-year-old single mother who lives just outside the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
She and her children were part of the protest that unfolded on July 9, the same day the nation's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to step down after tens of thousands stormed the presidential palace in Colombo demanding his resignation.
"We could not sleep during the nights," told Shanthi to DW. "This is the worst we have witnessed so far in my life. I cannot even afford to pay my monthly rent."
Shanthi has been trying to get her and her three children through the current economic turmoil. Like many Sri Lankans, she is uncertain about the future.
"I wanted my son to go abroad and work," she said. "But we could not even get a passport. The government system is not working. My son has studied motor mechanics. But he has no job. We tried every which way to get him one. But no one is ready to provide jobs. My second daughter luckily got work. But she is paid a low salary."
She is also worried about her third daughter, who is still at high school. Most of the schools and institutions are shut, and with very few classes happening, she is forced to walk 10 kilometers (6 miles) twice a week to attend tuition. Shanthi says there is no public transport available, and her daughter has no internet or reliable electricity to study from home.
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