How Achini’s life changed :

Achini has cerebral palsy. When she was born she was abandoned by her parents.  For the past 14 years she has been brought up by her elderly grandparents.

Achini lives in a tiny village nestled in the tea estates bordering the Singharja rain forest.  In this remote part of Sri Lanka there is no road access – it is a 10 km hike to the main road.

As Achini got bigger and her grandparents got older it became almost impossible for Achini to move around.  Achini would spend hour after hour lying on the floor or slumped in a chair.  With no way to move her she was increasingly marginalized from community and family life.

In November Achini received a supportive seat. From that moment her life changed.  With the ability to sit up Achini discovered she could do many things. She is now able to communicate with her family, play with her siblings, eat by herself and in fact is starting to try to write. 

Today Achini is able to leave her house.  She enjoys visits to the temple and the occasional outing to the local school. For Achini a supportive seat has been the pre requisite for access to her basic human rights.