Epzibah

Sanmuhalingam is a labourer. Since he lives in a rural village, he is not able to find work throughout the year. Epzibah has an elder brother and a younger brother.

Mylankadu in Chunnakam
•    Consists 843 families
•    Inhabited by agricultural labourers
•    Was affected by the war like other parts of the North and East of Sri Lanka
•    Affected by the caste system that has existed in Jaffna for centuries.
•    Denial of education, land, equality in public places
•    Lowest rungs of the social and economic ladder
•    Youth –low confidence, lacks will to succeed

Lying off the southern tip of India, the tropical island of Sri Lanka has attracted visitors for centuries with its natural beauty. But it has been scarred by a long and bitter civil war arising out of ethnic tensions between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil minority in the north and east.

After more than 25 years of violence the conflict ended in May 2009, when government forces seized the last area controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels. But recriminations over abuses by both sides continue.

The island fell under Portuguese and Dutch influence after the 16th century. It gained independence in 1948, after nearly 150 years of British rule.

Commercial capital: Colombo

   -  Population 21.2 million
    - Area 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq miles)
   -  Major languages Sinhala, Tamil, English
   -  Major religions Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
   -  Life expectancy 72 years (men), 78 years (women)
   - Currency Sri Lankan rupee