Legal
Many care leavers leave orphanages without birth certificates.
Legal
Law and Order
Although not the most obvious part of our work, in 2022 we have continued to provide significant legal support to care leavers. Many leave orphanages without birth certificates or other essential paperwork and court applications are required to produce ‘probable’ birth certificates. Others remain subject to court orders, often made without their knowledge, which have put them in the nominal care of siblings or other adults. These orders require a court hearing before they can be discharged.
Some care leavers find themselves caught up in historic criminal complaints arising out of their time in children’s homes. Too often they find themselves to be easy targets for law enforcement agencies and miscarriages of justice are common. Brighter Path provides legal support to young care leavers to ensure that they have access to proper legal advice during these investigations, something which is vitally important but rarely available through the state.
Further Reading

Food Distribution in the Eastern Province
In October 2022 Brighter Path founder Caroline travelled to the Eastern Province with the Brighter Path team to oversee an emergency food distribution project. The area between Dimbulagala and Welikanda …

Economic Crisis
These are difficult times in Sri Lanka. Over the past year the economic situation has steadily deteriorated with high inflation and widespread shortages of food. In addition a shortage of …

Children’s Day
Brighter Path was proud to support the United Nations’ International Children’s Day on 1 October 2023. This is always a big event in Sri Lanka, particularly for children in care. …