Eranga Jayawardena/AP Show More Show Less But even with a reliable paycheck, he can barely manage to support his family. He's now working for a management company, his fourth job in four years. The next job evaporated during the pandemic. Madushanka finished his studies and found a job in tourism, but lost it in the shadow of 2019 terror attacks that rattled the country and its economy. He moved back home in 2018 after his father died, to look after his mother and sister.
Madushanka, a 27-year-old accountant, studied in Japan and hoped to work there. Eranga Jayawardena/AP Show More Show Less 11 of15 Miraj Madusanka, left, helps his mother Sriyani, light a firewood hearth at their house in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 10, 2022. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing years of progress toward lifestyles aspired to across South Asia. Sri Lanka's economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country's once galloping middle class. 9 of15 10 of15 People wait for fuel at petrol station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, June 11, 2022.