Mothers of the World: Thilini Madushika
Published 2025-05-16
In northern Sri Lanka we collaborate with the organization ADIC. In the village of Colombo, we run, with support from Radiohjälpen, a leisure club where children learn about the effects of alcohol, children's rights and life skills. The project also strengthens parents, especially mothers, through discussion groups and community.
Thilini was raised in Colombo and has three sons. When Thilini talks about her husband's past abuse, it becomes clear how it has affected the entire family.
- "My husband used to have angry outbursts and the whole family was affected. For a period we were forced to live apart," she says.
A turning point came when her eldest son, Satmira Devsith, started in a leisure group at ADIC, a project we run together with our partner organization.
“There we were given tools to talk about how the addiction affected our family,” says Thilini.
She herself joined ADIC's mothers' group, where she has received support and knowledge to build her own economy. Today, she grows cassava as an extra source of income, alongside her husband's day jobs in construction. Through the mothers' group, she also got a job at a preschool.
– I dream of my children getting a university education and becoming engineers. I am grateful that today we are a family living together and that I have both an income and support from other mothers in the group.
