Reconciliation & Childhood

Lives Beneath the Labels

Still a nascent community, the Thalpitiya locality in Wadduwa has been in existence only since the mid 90s. Built on land grants by the government, the locale mainly comprises fisherman families of Buddhist and Catholic faiths, with the exception of one Tamil Hindu family who has moved into the neighbourhood recently.

While they were on the verge of achieving financial autonomy as a fisher community, the Tsunami in 2004 claimed their livelihoods and properties. Resilient, they reestablished their neighborhood together with aid from several charitable organizations. Today, 16 years later, their children are brought together by another array of adversities; scarcity of clean drinking water and a lack of proper means of garbage disposal, to name just a few.

The following images narrate the story of their everyday lives and the astounding similarity hidden beneath the perceived superficial differences.