Update: Sybil Wettasinghe appears quite famous in Sri Lanka, author of The Umbrella Thief, among about two hundred other titles (most in Sinhala). But still, there seems a dearth.
As I was searching for…
As I was searching for Sri Lankan picture books (so far to no avail, alas), I came across this program that sponsors child education in Sri Lanka. I'd like to sponsor a child; I like the idea of Kavi having a big 'sister' or 'brother' in school there. :-) But I don't know anything about how to vet organizations like this, to make sure they're on the up-and-up, not fronts for the Tigers, or even just bad spenders. Any help figuring it out would be appreciated.
http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/2003_tips.jsp
Then use GuideStar to see if your charity is listed there. Maybe another one is, if not.
Lori
http://www.charitynavigator.org is another resource; probably only for charities that file US taxes, though.
My impression of “child sponsoring” services is that a lot of them are largely marketing fluff; there may or may not be an actual child, and your money may or may not arrive at that actual child…
Sarvodaya is a Sri Lankan charity which is definitely on the up-and-up; it might be possible to ask them about another charity…?