Nirosha, a small business owner who sells pillows, found herself right in the eye of the storm. With a husband battling liver disease and unable to work, the weight of providing for their two school-going children rested solely on her shoulders. But as the economic crisis deepened, so did the struggle to make ends meet. Customers, themselves strapped for cash to buy essentials, cut back on discretionary spending, and Nirosha’s income plummeted.

Hope, however, arrived in the form of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) emergency cash assistance program. This lifeline provided Nirosha’s family with much-needed financial support during this critical time. The program, designed to assist vulnerable families like Nirosha’s, helped them put food on the table and weather the economic storm.

Nirosha’s story is a microcosm of the Sri Lankan crisis. Millions faced similar hardships, with small businesses especially hard-hit. The WFP’s intervention served as a beacon of hope, providing temporary relief and allowing families like Nirosha’s to focus on staying afloat during this turbulent period.