Wimalarathne said that the doctor is at a loss about her slow growth and has recommended that the family become involved with the home-visiting programme. Two families in the same village, in similar circumstances, yet the children are so different. The families in Matale, like millions throughout the world, are poor. Most are subsistence farmers and casual labourers who work in nearby factories or on tea plantations. Although 99 per cent of the children are immunized, almost 40 per cent are malnourished.
Some families have access to early childhood care programmes.
Many more do not.