Sri Lanka’s Care System: Progress, Gaps, And Hope
What if turning 18 didn’t mean turning off support? We sit down with Nimmu, a powerhouse care leaver advocate from Sri Lanka, to map what’s changing, what still hurts, and how to build a system that puts children where they thrive—whether that’s family, kinship, or a short stay in residential care. With warmth and precision, Nimu explains Sri Lanka’s current landscape: most children live in Child Development Centres, foster care is in development, and adoption and kinship care remain key alternatives. She shares how things have improved—care plans, school access, and more respectful language—while spotlighting stubborn gaps like early exits at 15–16, patchy counselling, and the silent crisis of IDs and addresses that lock young adults out of services, votes, and formal work.
The conversation opens with a clear picture of Sri Lanka’s out-of-home care: most children live in Child Development Centres rather than foster care, with adoption and kinship care as alternatives. Nimmu, a formidable care leaver advocate, contrasts her experience from 15–20 years ago with the system today. She explains how many children still exit too early—sometimes at 15 or 16—when schooling stalls, and how preparation for independence has often been thin. Yet momentum is real: structured care plans, school access, and public understanding have improved, and there is a stronger refusal to use the word “orphan” when many children have living parents. The question shifts from “which setting?” to “which setting best meets this child’s needs now?”, anchoring the episode’s core message: the best place for a child is the place that offers safety, love, and stability, whether family, kinship, or temporary residential care.
A major advancement is Sri Lanka’s commitment to aftercare, including grants of two million rupees for eligible care leavers to buy land, rebuild, or secure housing. Nimmu celebrates this but flags equity gaps—older care leavers can miss out, and documentation barriers remain. IDs, birth records, and registered addresses are often incomplete, shutting people out of elections, services, and formal work. Psychological support has improved but can be episodic; counsellors arrive during crises, then disappear for months. Nimmu argues for preparation to start years before transition, with life skills, financial literacy, self-defence for girls, navigating public spaces, and consistent therapeutic support that also includes caregivers. You don’t need to be a therapist to be therapeutic, she notes; stable, kind, attentive adults heal, and trained “mothers” in centres can shift culture.
The heart of the episode is family strengthening. Nimmu believes institutionalisation should be a short, last-resort bridge, not a destination. She points to rising divorce and poverty as drivers of placement, arguing that targeted support—cash transfers, mediation, and practical aid—can keep more children at home. At school, younger teachers and peers are more inclusive, but stigma lingers when children are identified by their institution rather than their name. That language sticks and hurts. Healing requires identity, belonging, and dignity—starting with how we speak. Nimmu’s story shows how purpose transforms trauma: advocacy, education, and shared work turn pain into fuel for change, but not everyone carries that fire. Systems must hold those who cannot self-advocate with equal care.
Peer networks are the frontline. Nimmu co-founded Generation Never Give Up and Rise Together to connect hundreds of care leavers with jobs, legal support, hostel access, and higher education. Their next move is a transition home: a safe, non-stigmatising base where young people can work, study, return at night, and contribute to bills as they stabilise. The model recycles rent into the next person’s start, building solidarity and sustainability. Meanwhile, government discussions on documentation reform promise structural fixes long overdue. Globally, Nimmu is not alone. Care leavers are organising across regions, comparing policy wins and pitfalls, and raising a unified voice: don’t make children independent on a clock; make them ready with community, rights, and real options. The pathway forward is clear—invest early, keep families strong, professionalise caregiving, guarantee documents and housing, and treat care leavers as partners in policy, not passive recipients.
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Transcript:
Colby: 0:00
Hello and welcome to the Secure Star podcast.
Nimmu: 0:05
They are giving 2 million per KR lever, so it means the thousand to the thousand KR levers to build a house or purchase a house. But I know that we are trying to do like uh decrease the number of the children’s uh child development centers in Sri Lanka, but I am pretty sure that it’s not going to be happening. I don’t want children to come into child development centers, and I just want to strengthen the family strengthening. Either it’s a family, either it’s a child development center, either it’s an adoption, or any other forms of like a post-op teachership. Where is the best place for the children? Children should be there. The counseling and psychological support only for the children who are living in CDC, also for the matrons, also for the caregivers should be there. So I’m happy as a careless in Sri Lanka, we are really strong and we are used to government level, we are used to like the private sectors, NGOs and INGs. So we are dealing with all of them. So they should be careful about that. The problems that we what we have faced, it will be not happened with them very soon.
Colby: 1:10
Hello and welcome to the Secure Star podcast. I’m Colby Pierce, and joining me for this episode is a leading care leaver voice in Sri Lanka. Before I introduce my guests, I’d just like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands that I come to you from, the Ghana people of the Adelaide Plains, and acknowledge the continuing connection the living Ghana people feel to land, waters, culture, and community. I’d also like to pay my respects to their elders, past, present, and emerging. My guest this episode is Namali Kumari. Affectionately known as Nimu, Namali is a carelever from Sri Lanka who spent over a decade in institutional care. She holds a degree in journalism, advertising and mass communication from NIILM University in India, along with additional qualifications in criminal investigation, psychology, and social sciences. She has worked as a skill photographer and costume designer for the Indian film Dreams in 2013. Namali has represented Sri Lanka as a speaker at numerous international conferences, including those focused on child protection and women’s rights in Nepal in 2017 and the Baikon International Conference in India in 2018 and 21, in Nepal in 2023, and in Malaysia this past year. Recently, Namali also spoke at the 35th Vice International Conference in Croatia in 2024. That same year, Namali was honoured as a young changemaker by the UN Ambassador and Neon Media. She is an active member of the Global Care Leavers Committee and a member of Care Leaders Council. She represented South Asian care leavers in the UN Resolution Focus Group in 2019. She completed a justice-based approach foundation course at United Edge in the USA in 2021. Since 2021, Namali has appeared on various TV programs discussing her life experiences and has become a social media influencer. Drawing on her lived experience, she is a passionate advocate for children’s rights and alternative care. Namali’s work focuses on reuniting orphaned children with their families and ensuring that they have access to education and employment opportunities. She worked for one of the largest NGOs, Savadaya, for 10 years and later for the Egyptian Embassy. Currently, she is employed at Their Future Together in both the UK and Sri Lanka. She is registered as an alternative family and foster care manager and leads the foster care program, ensuring that children grow up in safe, loving families. Inspired by her own 15 years in orphanages, Namali co-founded the Asia First Care Leavers Network, Generation Never Give Up, in 2017. She also co-founded and currently works as director of Rise Together Care Leavers Leading Network. Recently, Namali launched her autobiography, The Caged Girl, A Journey to Justice, which translates into Sinala as Dumburu Pathuk. Welcome Nimali.
Nimmu: 5:26
Thank you so much.
Colby: 5:28
I think a few times in there I ran out of breath. So such a long and impressive bio. I was very keen to present it all. But uh the longer they are, the greater the opportunity for me to get my tongue in the way and and mispronounce things. So fortunately I can edit some of that out. So Namali, you did ask me, you did say to me that you prefer to be called Nimu, and I’ll have to remember that. Apologies if I do call you Namali again through the through the podcast. But Nimu, you are my first guest on the Secure Start podcast from Sri Lanka. Um I’m wondering if in the first instance, if you could tell us a little bit about the out-of-home care system in Sri Lanka.
Nimmu: 6:20
Okay, thank you so much, and I’m really happy to be here. So I will directly go into the answer. So, what I really feel like uh the system aftercare of the children who are leaving of the children’s homes. So currently we have 3563 children’s homes in Sri Lanka, so more than 9,191 children are residents in there. So uh I was uh uh a child who uh I think uh before 20 years, I was a child in child development centers because we are calling child development centers, not the CCI, like a child care institution. We are calling as a CDC. So in our CDCs, there is a system like um we after we uh turn out to 18, that’s we have to live. Uh I think it’s the global things that’s happening. But uh when it comes to Sri Lanka perspective, like uh for in our 12th, grade 12th means it’s a 13 years after study, uh we will reach out to 19, our age will be 19. So there the CDCs, CCI, which you are expecting, like they are not asking us to leave. If we are studying, they are not asking us to leave, and until 19 or 20, uh, if we are studying, that we can stay there. So after care, like when we leave, sometimes it can be after 15 years, sometimes it can be after 18 years or 19 years, because the 15 years is the age that the Sri Lankan children who set for the first ordinary level examination. Most of the children who are get past marks, they can sit for the another advanced level examination. Those who can’t afford for get them higher marks for that education system, they must leave the CDC. Because they are not uh most of the children are not getting the second chance to appear, second appear, which I got, but some institutions they are not getting the chance to do. So it means like most of the time, the 15 years or 16 years or so the age that the children are leaving the childcare institution. So when it’s come to uh aftercare, so there is no actually when I was there, so there were no actually the proper system to go out and have like not proper preparation for them, like a psychological support or financial uh training, or it can be like any vocational training. So it was not happened earlier, but currently, which is happening, like it’s already happening here currently. But the thing was that when I was there, there were no much um awareness on that how we can how we should go outside and how we should uh like uh deal with the people in the society because we just depended when we were in the child development centers. So we are hoping that someone will take care of us after we go out of the care. So it was the earlier system that uh children you must leave after 18 or after 19 or after 15 once they have done completed their education. So it can be the way that government is supporting to the uh youth, uh finding a job opportunities, or sometimes they used to get married, or sometimes they used to get like a vocational training, but where there are hostel facilities. The thing is that I was really wondering since that, like are they really going for their interesting because sometimes they like they would like to be uh become a uh a fashionable designer, but there will be uh courses uh only they are having the hostel facility, it’s gonna be the nurse, so they have to uh take out their dreams out and they should go there. So it’s something like that is happening, and uh the current time it’s uh we will speak in later, so it’s definitely changes, but the thing was that earlier it was like there were no proper system to go out, and that was the um aftercare uh aftercare things that what happened in Sri Lanka.
Colby: 10:12
Yeah, yeah. So you’ve got um the perspective of when you were in care um some years ago and and you you’re working in the care sector now. While you were speaking, I was just wondering was there a mix of development centers and foster care or foster home, or or was were children in care primarily in those development centers?
Nimmu: 10:37
Yeah, we we we have only this uh because we are not implementing foster care system now, it’s it’s still in Sri Lanka. So we have only child development centers, adaptation. So as an alternative, we have adoption and child development centers and the kinship care. So first is not still there, but uh currently it’s uh like in the on the process.
Colby: 10:56
In the process, yeah. And I I I nearly did the maths in my head and and gave it up pretty quickly. But um, what would you say is the kind of average number of children who are in each development center?
Nimmu: 11:12
Uh most of the time, some child development centers they have 22, 25.
Colby: 11:18
Yep.
Nimmu: 11:18
So we have the separation, like uh for girls there is separation, one for boys there’s a separation. So from these three, five, six uh children’s homes, there are 43 government-run child development centers. Others all are from the volunteer organization than NGOs.
Colby: 11:33
Yeah, yeah. And in the current system, what what do you think works well in Sri Lanka, the current out-of-home care system?
Nimmu: 11:44
Yeah, I’m so happy uh to share that uh uh as you know that uh the children who are leaving the child development centers, they really need the two uh place to stay. The housing issues, education support, and also the psychological support, uh, the financial support, these are the things that really uh want for the after care support as aftercare support. So, what currently uh the Sri Lankan government has taken uh forward to include the care leavers, we are calling as the carelivers. So include the care levers into their budget, and they have been taken forward to support the carelivers, like example, uh they are given two million per care lever, so it means the thousand to the thousand care levers to build a house or purchase a house or uh uh do uh uh like uh purchase a land or uh to rebuild their houses and all damages houses and all. So the government are paying two million rupees per car lever. So the system uh it’s going on, like the selecting the car leavers and uh uh getting the information of the carelivers that everything is currently happened, and also they are supporting for the children who are living in CDC uh the with the 5,000 Sri Lankan rupees, which goes direct to the uh child’s accounts, so it will be 2,000 for child’s account and 3,000 for their uh dairy expenses and all. So these things is currently happening, and also apart from that, uh the government is trying to implement an other alternative care options uh the other than the children’s going into the institutional care.
Colby: 13:18
I hope I heard you right. But did you say that the government that the government grant of 2 million rupees is that sufficient to buy a house or is it sufficient to um put down a deposit to buy a house as such?Nimmu: 13:36
Uh for me, like uh the children who like uh for the car leavers, uh they always try to uh uh have in their own homes. They they it’s something like to me also, I also want to have a kind of a home, my own house. So the car levers are really happy on that. And uh, but the thing is that we leave that uh work properly because there are systems like there are criteria that select in the car livers, like uh age uh 18 to 30, 18 to 40 years. But the thing was that I have heard like after even after 40 years, even 40 to 45 years, they don’t have any place to stay and all. So they are asking for that. Uh why we are not getting uh support and all. So I think that the equality is really uh not happening there.
Colby: 14:27
So we had a little bit of a technical issue there, but um, I was interested in the generosity of the Sri Lankan government to to offer those grants to carelivers that effectively give them an opportunity to have a have a home. And um I just wonder, Nimu, before we move on, um what what is the what’s it like for children growing up in the development centers there in Sri Lanka?
Nimmu: 14:58
Uh it’s totally different when I was the child development centers because it was almost 20 years back, the story, like more than 15 years. So uh the situation is uh really increasing uh with a positive way, to be honest, because uh uh the things that uh things and the uh most opportunities the children are getting in child development centers are uh getting increased. Like uh when we were in there, like there were no much proper awareness, or there were not uh kind of uh uh training or something, so it was not there much properly, but now they are have they are having kind of a care plan for the children, and there is there are also uh a lot of opportunities, the fun activities, and there are a lot of uh picnics going on. So uh all the people used to get understand about the children who are living in CDCs. To be honest, that when we were there, so most of the time people used to talk about like talk about us like uh orphan girls, orphan children, and all. But the word of orphan using in Sri Lanka, some people are using, but most of the people know that they are not the orphan. So these things are also uh differently in Sri Lanka, and apart from that, the children living in CCI, everyone is attending the schools and everyone is getting support for the education system, and those who are not uh ready to take forward the formal education, most of them are getting the informal education within the center until the court uh get the decision, until the court gives the decision to go them on out of the care out of the care. So these are the things that what’s going on uh currently in the CDC.
Colby: 16:39
You said that the children don’t identify uh or aren’t identified as being orphans any longer. Um what what do you think, how do you think that change is experienced by the children? How do they experience that?
Nimmu: 16:56
Yeah, you know, like uh with the uh like uh when there are a lot of group of children, group of friends of mine that uh sometimes if they call me as uh like my children’s home’s name, not with my name, but they are calling as a child that who are grow uh with our name of our institution. So that feels called and feel really painful, but at that time it was just uh just a word, but when we grow up, we that trauma is triggering, like we feel like oh they they didn’t talk about from my name, they just talk about with my institution name. So this is something really painful thing for the children who are living in centers, and also uh the most most probably what I can see the difference is like uh the current in the current situation in Sri Lanka, the most of the uh teachers in the schools are young, so uh most of the young group they’re really close with the children, so that means they are getting uh much uh closer to the children who are living in the CCI, and there is no any uh like a discrimination between the children who are coming out from coming from the home and coming from the CDCs. So, because of this case, uh the children are living happily in the school, but in somehow there there might be, and I know that there are a little bit of um things is happening, thing incidents is going happening, uh, that still uh the children are getting that name as often, sometimes because every children in the CDCs is not um uh well uh trying to well get well education because they are some most of the children they don’t like to get uh formal education, they want to go uh go outside and they want to earn money and they want to be in the independent. So and the thing is also as I mentioned that earlier when I was there, it was actually uh the orphan children was there, like there is no one to care, no visitation, no one to see. But currently 79% of uh children they have the parents, at least a single parent, at least one mother of parents. So they want to go outside not to be in the CDCs, and they they they feel like they have the family, but then why I am in the CDC? So they are not trying to get their education, they just want to escape from CDC and work and join with the family. So the main thing I think that that’s the things, and um the taking of the positive or negative the things that whatever the people are saying to the children in CDCs, it’s depend on their mentality, like the children’s mentality. Like uh the children who are actually totally open, they understood that yeah, yeah, that’s totally fine. Whatever they say, that’s totally fine. I’m okay, I’m okay. The children who are coming out, uh come into the system currently they know that they have parents and why I’m getting I should wear as uh like a bully as orphan. So this is a generation cap pose.
Colby: 19:54
When I was listening to you, I just thought, was thinking to myself how about how strong that uh pull to that that pull is or that tie is to to family for the children growing up and and how how much, you know, regardless I guess of the circumstances that led to them coming into a children’s development centre, in their heart they want to be back with family. Yeah. And do you think um do child do the children feel safe and uh well cared for and loved in the development centers these days, would you say?
Nimmu: 20:39
This is something uh difficult question because I grew up in three child development centers. The reason for that, like in my first child development centers, I have been uh named as the radical character in the center. So, with that case, uh sometimes I got uh rude uh uh behavior from the uh matron. But I know that because we used to meet the child development, various child development centers, uh friends together when it is World Children’s Day. So once a year, all the province uh children will be coming together, and so we used to share our experiences sometimes, like how we see our CDC, because we know that if we did something, so we will be transferred to the another side development center, so we should have keep connected with them. So we used to share our experience and all. So sometimes I heard that when my when it was my eighth time that I was heard that they have beaten sometimes, they used to do so much of work and they have to do do uh sometimes they are using for their personal things and all. So they have a lot of things is going on. But when it comes to children to get to know about their rights and they they get to know about their uh protection, they should uh what what what’s their rights and all? So they used to fight it out. So it’s uh become like uh some incidence has become uh uh the the decrease a decrease in the incidence. With the bad uh bad incidents. But currently there is a proper maintenance system. So but still, I’m saying that still there are some child development centers. The children are getting um badly treated. But most pro mostly, most of the children’s homes are going well and the treated well because now they are hiring the matrons, not the matrons, the mothers. So means like the love is the main thing to change the children’s life in child CDC. So I can go, I can definitely say there’s a both the side. The negative thing is happening, positive things also happening. So it’s everywhere is that, but the thing is that how much it’s affected the children’s mind.
Colby: 22:44
I do want to ask you about that in a moment, but I just wanted to confirm it’s my ob my observation listening to you that um there has been a lot of progress in with in terms of um um the experience of of children who are cared for in the development centers even over the last 15 years since you you were there.
Nimmu: 23:09
Yeah, that’s definitely true. It’s totally has been totally different. Like they to be honest, like example, uh when I was in CCI, it was the time that I have to be appear in the court so many times, the per year, at least two to three times. Even I have to try uh go with the police officers and with the prison bus and all, but now it’s already uh change, like they are having the video recording room, so there will be only one time uh they’re asking for the evidence, and then there are officially they have a vehicle to travel, uh uh take here and there with the children. So everything has been changed. That’s really fine because I uh as a person that who grew up in there, that I definitely want to see everything is growing up, not the things that uh should have same thing happen should not happen, but I was experienced.
Colby: 23:56
What what has driven that change, Nimu? What what has kind of um been some really uh influential factors in in driving this improvement in development centers?
Nimmu: 24:12
Yeah, to be honest, like uh the ex as I mentioned that the experience, what I have gained as a negative side, I’d never wanted to give it to the other, my other generation. That I know that we are trying to do like uh decrease the number of the children’s uh child development centers in Sri Lanka or in everywhere. I think everyone used to uh everyone is thinking on that, but I’m pretty sure that it’s not going to be happening like at least there will be at least there will be uh less number of children’s homes there, definitely, because we can’t totally uh get destroyed all the uh child development centers because uh there are a lot of children who really support those who need this kind of shelter because I either we get uh negative positive parts, or there are things that the children can be get educated within the centers, so it should be those who can’t really go for the uh kinship care or the adoption or um to the foster care or anywhere, so there should be a place to stay. So I think uh what I was interested mostly uh to protect the children who come into the child development centers because I don’t want children to come in into child development centers, and I just want to strengthen family strengthening because they everything is go coming and everything is happening within the family. So if we can strengthen families so we can do the awareness in the family, if we can support the family, it can be the financial, it can be the economics, it can be the uh like uh kind of uh uh so there can be various situations, like most probably in Sri Lanka now divorce cases has been increased. So the effect on the divorce case uh going to the children. So the par both the parents are not okay to take the child on their custody, so they are going to the child development center. So I think these incidents, this kind of topic that uh influenced me to go out and talk about these things. That yeah, and uh as Asian country, you know that we are very close to the family members, like the parents and all. We culturally we are connected to each other. So the most touched part is that if we can touch the heart of the parents, that it can be uh they can be together as a family. So, what I am doing currently as in getting to that, and I’m currently doing the the things that I feel like this is the best thing that doing the awareness and talking about my stories and sharing my stories, and then asking them not to send child into the child development center. Keep as much as you can with yourself.
Colby: 26:46
Yeah. If I can summarize, um advocacy by people like yourself has has been a real driver for change. You’ve been advocating for maintaining family connection and strengthening families. The preference is not for children to go into development centres, but the reality is that there will always be children who uh need to be in a development centre. Yeah. There will always need to be development centres. So I guess the challenge is to um advocate for the best possible care while the young people are there in those development centres. There will always be children in a residential care environment, and what we need to do is one, recognize that for some children that is the best place for them to be for a period of time, and two, ensure that they have the best care possible while they’re there.
Nimmu: 27:48
That’s definitely true. I also feel like uh uh the either it’s a family, either it’s a child development center, either it’s an adoption, or any other forms of like a post-op kinship. Where is the best place for the children? Children should be there.
Colby: 28:04
Yep, absolutely. And and so the children’s placement should not be determined by what the system can manage. It it should be determined by what is what is in the best interest of the child. And we need so we need care options. The system or the out-of-home care system always needs options for children and young people. Another thing you mentioned in there was um talking about leaving care and issues around psychological support. This is something actually that I’m that is very close to my heart at the moment because I work uh primarily as a psychotherapist with children and young people, most of whom are in out-of-home care. And each year some of them turn 18 and leave care. And so that support that they had that was funded by the local child protection authorities for me to work with them comes to an end, and we have to find other avenues to maintain that support, um, which aren’t not always the same. So I think I was just wondering, you you raised it in in Sri Lanka. What would you say is the kind of cycle the psychological support or psychosocial support that is on offer to children in care? And then what what does happen to them when to that when they do transition from care?
Nimmu: 29:38
Yeah, uh, this is something really important thing because uh uh the either they are tour children in the child development centers, their psychologically, their mentally, they are totally different for each one to each other. So within this uh period of time when they are in CCI, uh CDCs, and uh they they are getting counselor support, like uh where but the thing is that is that really on time because sometimes when they get aggressive, they used to call for the counselor, and that time they will be uh that uh time uh very comfort level to her, but after that, might be in the two to three months or four four months, they come visit and again. So I don’t know uh is that the the uh uh best things to do the counseling for the children because every children is coming from the traumatic family, some because some most most of the some sometimes can be the domestic violence family and also their aggressive behavior because of that case. So it’s not should be the counseling and psychological support only for the children who are living in CDC, also for the matrons, also for the caregivers should be there. Other than like like I think like um if we only give the psychological support to the children who are living in CDCs, uh it’s not going to be work. So when it comes to the uh aftercare, like uh leaving the care of the children, so if you if they are not prepared, like the mental is not prepared uh to go out, most of the children they are not prepared. Look at like when you are in the 15 years of your age, you are celebrating your birthday very uh happy, might be very happy. But the children who are living in CDCs, when they come to 15, they are just thinking that not their birthday to where I will go after three years, where I will go after one year. So that’s the starting point of their uh mentality going down. I feel like at the age of 15, there should be psychological support, there should be mentally prepared them already to go outside. And I think it’s not wait until the 15 years of old, but the counselor or psycho psychiatric or psychological support can give before the 15 years, and they there can be start the preparation for the children to go out, so then they know that how to uh deal with the people, how to stay in their by own their own feet, and they know how to uh deal with any kind of people and everything. So I have seen some organizations in Sri Lanka kind of emerge or so. They are little kind of organizations that they are giving support, especially uh the self-defense, as to the girls, especially. Because uh you know that when we go outside in the because when we even series, the children are not getting exposed to the outside society, especially for going on the bus, going into the market, going to the bank or anything. So without knowing anything, that when they go outside, so if someone is like jagging their in the bus, they got afraid, they are not raised their voice. But if they learn how to defend on that, so it will not uh make them uh like uh uncomfortable because even that small thing also uh can be effective to their mentality. So I think before go out, these all the children, there should be proper psychiatric support, psychiatric, uh even the mentality, make especially to make their mentality uh think that yes, I am now ready, I am okay to go outside. Uh, that’s the definite thing because you know, like most of the children who are going out of the care they don’t have proper birth certificate, they don’t have proper identification, they don’t have a proper place to stay. So there are a lot of things that should be prepared and go outside, otherwise, they are going to be definitely again going to be the uh helpless children.
Colby: 33:29
Yeah, so I I guess what I’m hearing is that um one important aspect of the out-of-home care sector that could be improved is is the psychological support for the children, uh including supporting their psychological readiness to transition from the CDCs into independence. And um I thought w when you were mentioning it earlier that you said something about that that reflected that um when they leave whatever support that was offered just comes to an end or or or um uh diminishes in some way. Is that was I right in understanding that that that that it’s not only that you have to move on from home and you and you and you’re moving on from formal education perhaps, um, but you’re also moving on and you’re you’re moving on from the ha the people that you’ve been living with, but you also uh move move on from or move away from mental health supports for that that help with the preparation for independence. Is that right?
Nimmu: 34:41
Yeah, to be honest, uh for me, like uh when I got uh uh failed in my first exam, attempt of my first attempt of my examination, I was thinking that then now I have to go wherever that they are uh they are telling, but it was not happened. They are asking me to do the repeat examination and then I do did it and I get the pass. So I think the best decision that they have taken is giving me second second chance. So it was a turning point. Then I was moving to the advanced level examination and then I got this scholarship to study in India. So until this period, that I was in the same time, I was happy many times in the courts. So it was really damaging my mind, like thinking that no matter that how much I studied, that I have to be in the court, I have to repeat my cases, which I was it’s really traumatic things. So I was not mentally uh totally uh like uh recover. To be honest, when I writing my um bio autobiography, it stood more than four years to write down because it was almost all the flashback is coming to my mind. So I I I was I wanted to get the psychological support for that while I’m writing this story. So you know that how much it’s hard to remind my childhood memories when I was in um my home, my own biological family. So I think what I got uh through the people that who are surrounding me, it’s uh not 100% the car leavers, to be honest, it’s the teachers most of the time, and also the people who are really um uh supporting me uh and supporting the children who are living in CC that those supporters give me the strength to go out. So, also I think uh my strength was uh especially getting through my uh flashback incidents. Whatever the bad things happen to me, I have taken it as a positive points to go out. So I’m sharing like this my stories to each and everyone. But the thing is that every girls who have this kind of strength they can go out, but those who can’t go out, those who can’t get this strength, who will be looking after them? So it’s better to be the voice for that those kind of voiceless children. So that’s why I think that uh I’m kind of I I I feel like I’m kind of a candle to me. So I’m burning myself, but I’m supporting for others. That’s something that I feel like about myself. But that’s totally fine because uh either I am uh psychologically not uh fully recovered or mentally full not fully recovered. That uh if something’s not happened to the child, same thing happened to me, that’s really something I can be fresh and I can be happy. So it’s make me heal uh when I see someone same uh someone uh going into different ways and they can find their life. So it’s something that I feel uh I’m getting healed to myself.
Colby: 37:47
Yeah, yeah. So um that’s lovely. What I what I’m hearing is that um part of the healing process for you has been purpose, has been the the purpose that you have in your life to uh advocate for and on behalf of other young people young people in care whose voice isn’t often heard. And when you see when you see good outcomes of that uh uh of that advocacy and that support, that that really boosts your own uh well-being. You mentioned earlier that you think that um not only should the children and young people receive support, but also the people who look after them, the teachers, the the the mums in the homes and so on. Um That’s it’s interesting. We’re not because I’ve sp over the last year I’ve spoken to um people from around the world who are involved in um um the provision of residential care for children and young people. And um one of the consistent themes is the need for um for therapeutic input or for input with the people who look after the children and who interact with them uh a lot. And some of that is is about just is about support. It’s also about um support for them, but it’s also about helping them to have a better understanding of the young people in their care and of how to uh care for them uh in the in the most therapeutic way. Just wondering if that that was what you were uh kind of uh suggesting or or or representing when you when you mention support, not only for the children, but also for the adults around them.
Nimmu: 39:48
Yeah, that’s true. Like for me, like I think like uh there should be uh children who so also must be ready to take this uh uh support from outside people because most of sometimes some children they’re really afraid to open up and they’re really afraid to talk about uh with the outside people, especially. Uh, because children who are in the centers they lost their trust with their own biological family members, so they are thinking about how to uh get how to believe other people. So I think um the people who are going into the CDC and the people who are really wanting to support uh with the psychological support of the children, I think they should understand the mind of the children, and before they should study the children’s and then they can uh reach out because most of the children are not uh going to uh hear everything, whatever the psychological support are given. So sometimes they might be they’re interested in getting kind of activities and they might be getting kind of uh I think video recording or something. They they they like to have kind of it’s kind of a cartoon type. There are a lot of ways. Uh so like example, like when I was um even the 25ers, uh, my uh one of my uh working places, they have me, they they thought that I want a psychiatric support because I used to get angry all the time. So they just sent me into the psychiatric, and she was asked that uh uh I wonder that you are really young, then uh how you why you are getting angry, and also then I told that I’m the one who’s uh really want to have this justice for each and everyone. So when there is injustice, I used to get angry, so that’s a normal thing. But uh psychiatric was asking me to get the treatment like tablets, taking tablets. So that’s not the thing that for me, like within the first day they asked if they ask him for the take the tablets, that’s time also I’m getting angry. So I think it’s better to understand and uh having kind of a uh pre uh getting pre-information about the children that before they go for the logical support. That’s really important thing, I think.
Colby: 41:54
Yeah, I think what you’re uh part of what you’re also saying, and which others have mentioned it before, is that um um you don’t have to well, in fact, one of my previous guests, Megan Corcran, said you don’t have to be a therapist to uh provide a therapeutic experience for a child.
Nimmu: 42:16
Most of the yeah, because most of the children who are leaving the CDC, they they are not 100% need of the psychological support. They really need the kind kindness, attention, and the love and care.
Colby: 42:27
Yeah.
Nimmu: 42:28
If you can give these four things, they’re definitely automatically they will be mentally healed.
Colby: 42:33
Yeah, yeah. Now I know a great passion of yours is is is the careless like yourself. Um, what what is what’s the current situation? Um, you’ve mentioned uh the grants, the grants that they get to to purchase land or purchase a house and kind of set themselves up. Um what what other support uh systems and organizations are in place for carelivers now in in Sri Lanka?
Nimmu: 43:03
Yeah, for the carelivers like uh myself from 2017, we started and co-founded this care leavers network of generation never gives us. So we are as the care levers, we are supporting for the carelivers uh to finding out uh job opportunities and we are giving the psychological support through and the legal support and higher education support and everything. We are just as a group, we are supporting. So we have in the GNG network more than 500 care levers already registered. And in the same time, on 2025, I have been um started and co-founded uh another care lever’s network, which is fully focused uh with the psych uh with the um job opportunities, finding the job opportunities for the care levers. That’s the same thing, and the trusted place and the hostel facilities and everything. So we are 15 children uh care leavers who came together and built up this network. Uh, and we are on the way, we are just calling each and every companies, and we are getting their Vacancies and we are just giving to the preparation department, and we are uh placed the child into the uh job opportunities after 18 or 19. So these are the things that as a carelavers, what we are doing. So apart from that, there are a few NGOs in Sri Lanka, few CSOs in Sri Lanka that they are taking the care of the children, so like caregivers, they are giving the facilities for the carelivers to stay there until they get independent and all. So we also have a kind of a uh plan to uh build a transistent uh home. It’s kind of a home, not a hostel, transistent hostel, like uh to stay there until they get find out uh the best place to go. Uh like uh once they are started their uh career, they can pay to their place where they are, and then we can uh spend that money to another child who comes coming into this uh coming out from the system. So we am planning kind of a build up the this transition home. So there will be facilitation for all the carelivers that it’s not kind of a against, it’s kind of a home for them. They can stay there and they can go for the work, they can go for the universities to the studies and everything, and they can come back because now they can think that oh now they are I have a place to come back. So they they can come there and while they are earning, they can pay for the light bills, the water bills, and electricity, everything they can pay by their safe, and in the same time, we are hoping to give the uh them IT knowledge and the uh reading skill and life skill and the yoga therapy. This everything we are just having kind of in our mind, and now we are having also so the proposals, these items, and we are making the proposal and we are trying to get with the funds, and then we will start this process also for the car levers. It’s for the car leavers from care levers. So, this is also something what we are doing. So, apart from that, yes, the government is now focusing on that the care levers support for the car leavers, especially. Uh, the uh they are going to address the about the documentation issues because most of the car levers they have probable age certificate other than national birth certificate. So, probable age certificate is there is a lot of blank, they don’t have any birthday, they have only the birth year, so which really affect the mentality of the child in in uh after the leave. Also, most of the care leavers they don’t have identity, like they don’t have vote to the uh like in the elections because uh they don’t have proper ID in the their identity car where they have put in address, they don’t have home to put in address. So these issues are also going to be addressed soon within the government system. Now there is a discussion is ongoing. So I’m happy as a care leavers in Sri Lanka, we are really strong and we are used to government level, we are used to in the uh like a private sectors in GOS and INGO. So we are dealing with all of them. Uh so we we expect that the children who are coming out of the system in recently in the after after 2010, yeah, uh I came as of 2010. So I think after 2010, when 2017, as we uh started this advocacy, I think it has changed a lot, and uh there are a lot to change, and also I feel like for most of the care levers uh really happy to support for each car leavers, each other leavers, not the national level, so international level also we are raised this sub-advocacy work, and we are getting support from the people and we seek continuous support because uh there are a lot of children who uh lost their education, higher education without the financial support. So, as a car lever, by myself, I used to have find uh so many donors and all, and I just give this uh child information, and they used to get uh appoint in the schools and uh sorry, education in the universities. So there are there are a lot of children who get support from me. It’s not actually my money because I’m not a kind of a person who rich with money, but I personally believe that I can support them with other people’s uh around me. So there are a lot of children who are studying in the university with our support. So I’m proud of that of that, and also I’m proud that as a careliver, so now there are a lot of carelivers come out and they are speaking about their rights and whatever they want. So it started with actually myself that I have been speaking about my whole story, so with through my autobiography and also through social media and the TV channels and everything. So people get to know about most of the people they don’t know that the children who are living in CDC should leave after 18 years. So the question what I was asking the uh uh interviewer, I was used to asked that either you ever ask your child to go out when they turn out 18. If not, why the children who are living in CDC should go out. I because they even they don’t have anyone to care. So if they go out, also there should be continuous support at least until they stand by their own feet. Because the children are uh like everyone is thinking that children are the future of their country. So it’s they should be careful about that. I think it’s happening now, and I think that there should be more more because we we always think that more is more we need, no. So I think uh it should be happened more and more, and I believe that the children who are coming out of the system, the problems that we what we have faced, it will be not happened to them very soon.
Colby: 49:28
That’s inspirational. And um as you were talking, I was just I was thinking about carelivers even here in my own local jurisdiction, and um um I do have some plans. I’m going to re um I’m not talking about them until uh after I’m a little bit further along, but um let’s just say I I’m similarly concerned in my own jurisdiction about certain aspects of of the ongoing care and support that that get lost when they turn 18. And as you as you say, we wouldn’t we don’t normally expect children to be independent, whether they’re in a Western country or an Asian country uh like there in Sri Lanka. We we we don’t expect our children to be out standing on their own two feet independently at 18, and especially when they when when they’ve had troubles in their life um uh as as they’ve grown up. So I tell you what, it sounds fantastic and uh like you’ve achieved a lot. And I guess there would be listeners to this podcast who would be thinking, if only we could get namali to come and advocate in our country, or or if only we could bottle what what she bottle up what she’s been able to uh achieve and uh and kind of have that here in in our country. So um there are examples around the world where carelaver support is really good, but there’s a lot of examples where it’s it’s not in so-called first world countries.
Nimmu: 51:12
Yeah, no, I I mean like that’s true because I used to meet um so many countries, care leavers, and we I we used to have a chat and we used to have kind of a cafe and we used to have a discussion about what’s ongoing in their country, what’s going on our country, so it’s can’t be Western or European or in the Asian. So we are coming together. So it’s really something like um I feel like the most of the care leavers in the all of the country, all of the like globally, now they are getting really strength to come out and talk about. I think the attitude is getting uh really positive because the change in the mind of the peoples, the attitude of the people is a really difficult thing, you know, every country is so. But I think that uh when coming not coming as a one person, it’s coming as a group, it’s really a lot of effect. So I think that as a global Kalivers, I I’m one of a member of the Global Calibur’s Committee and National Kalivers Committee. So we always talking about these issues and we are taking all uh this into the advocacy world. And now I feel like the topic is Kalivers is going uh beyond than other topics. So it’s really something really great thing because uh now people know that what system is happening, what’s not happening, and what should be done. But it’s really something really great that we care came out.
Colby: 52:28
Yeah. And and what what is happening is that um the voice of children who previously, children and young people who previously didn’t have a voice, is being heard. And it really takes um it takes people like you. I think you described yourself um as some something of a disruptor as you were growing up in in the home that you were in. Uh it takes someone like you, I think, who’s got a bit of a bit of drive and a bit of strength and even a bit of and and passion for fairness, for for the rights of of young people um who uses their voice to to um create change and be a change maker.
Nimmu: 53:13
So what’s definitely true?
Colby: 53:15
Yeah, yeah.
Nimmu: 53:16
I also just want to those people who really wanted to see about the what the system is doing and what’s really happened and what’s ongoing and how I became kind of an advocate, uh, they can definitely read my book, whatever I can fit in Amazon also, so people can read it out, and then they can really understand more and more that because uh there are a lot of things that what I didn’t speak out, but everything is in my book.
Colby: 53:41
Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, and that was a deliberate plan for me. I I don’t I I didn’t want you to relive your your whole history here uh on the podcast, but yeah. Thanks. Thank you again, Nimu, for for coming on, and uh I look forward to hearing more uh in the years ahead about the accomplishments that you um that you have and and that your networks have in this in this space.
Nimmu: 54:11
Thank you so much for inviting me. So, because uh at last I want to say that um people like you that’s taking this kind of topic in out that’s really make different for without you knowing that you are making the so much of uh positive impact for the children who are leaving the child development centers. Because uh, if at least one single person who listened to you are one, so they will understand that what’s really going on. So that’s the things that we don’t want like a thousand or two thousand people to get involved, but at least a single person to get uh involved and move forward, that’s really important thing for us. So, thank you for taking us and thank you for giving that much honors for the car leavers uh to invite for your broadcast. It’s really mean to us, and I will be the only uh one person who is there today, but there are a lot of care leavers who stand there by their own feet and living very happily their life. So I I bit uh so I wish that all the car leavers will be definitely uh get healed from their traumatic life, and they will be definitely be happy and talk uh in front of Mike or in front of uh everyone is not should not talk in front of my by Mike, but within their life, they will be definitely happy with the people’s support like you. Thank you so much for inviting this podcast.
Colby: 55:33
Thank you.
More about Nimmu:
Affectionately known as Nimmu, Nimali is a care leaver from Sri Lanka who spent over a decade in institutional care. She holds a degree in Journalism, Advertising, and Mass Communication from NIILM University in India, along with additional qualifications in criminal investigation, psychology, and social sciences. She has worked as a still photographer and costume designer for the Indian film DREAMZ in 2013.
Nimali has represented Sri Lanka as a speaker at numerous international conferences, including those focused on child protection and women’s rights in Nepal (2017), and the BICON International Conference in India in 2018 and 2021, in Nepal in 2023, and Malaysia in 2025. Recently, Nimali spoke at the 35th FICE International Conference in Croatia (2024).
In 2024, Nimali was honoured as a Young Change-Maker by the UN Ambassador and Neon Media. She is an active member of the Global Care Leavers Committee and member of the Care Leaders Council. She represented South Asian care leavers in the UN Resolution Focused Group (2019). She completed the Justice-Based Approach Foundation Course at United Edge, USA (2021).
Since 2021, Nimali has appeared on various TV programs discussing her life experiences and has become a social media influencer. Drawing from her lived experiences, she is a passionate advocate for children’s rights and alternative care.
Nimali’s work focuses on reuniting orphaned children with their families and ensuring they have access to education and employment opportunities. She worked for one of the largest NGOs, Sarvodaya, for 10 years and later for the Egyptian Embassy. Currently, she is employed at Their Future Today in both the UK and Sri Lanka, is registered as an Alternative family and foster care manager, and leads the foster care program, ensuring that children grow up in safe, loving families.
Inspired by her own 15 years in orphanages, Nimali co-founded the Asian First Care Leavers
Network, Generation Never Give Up, in 2017. She also cofounded and currently works as Director of Rise Together Care Leavers leading network.
Nimali recently launched her autobiography ‘The Caged Girl: A Journey To justice’’ &
‘’Dumburu Pathok ‘’ in Sinhala.
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Disclaimer:
Information reported by guests of this podcast is assumed to be accurate as stated. Podcast owner Colby Pearce is not responsible for any error of facts presented by podcast guests. In addition, unless otherwise specified, opinions expressed by guests of this podcast may not reflect those of the podcast owner, Colby Pearce. Finally, all references to case examples are anonymised to the extent that the actual case could not be identified, or are fictional but based on real-life examples for illustrative purposes.
