Devduni De Alwis is determined to see change in her country. At only 18 years old, Dev as she is called has a unique perspective on life in Sri Lanka.
Born into a mid to high-class family in a country that still recognizes the caste system, Dev is in her final year at a private Christian High School in Colombo, the largest city in Sri Lanka.
“I grew up with more privileges than most girls. But at the same time, my class allowed me to interact with people in both high and low classes, which allowed me to have a wider perspective of what is happening here,” said Dev.
Dev emphasizes that Sri Lanka is vastly different from what Westerners might expect. There is a stark contrast between classes of people. The country is officially a Buddhist nation, but there are other religions as well. Dev is a Christian, and her faith inspires the work she hopes to do for women and families.
She points out that Western slogans like “my body, my choice” aren’t something Sri Lankan women struggle with. Instead, the real struggles lie in a lack of education and the open hostility toward teen mothers and even natural biological functions women go through.
Dev explains that especially in rural areas, periods are still seen as unclean, and in some cases, girls cannot even be in the presence of men while on their periods. Child marriages still happen secretly and children without fathers listed on their birth certificates are often barred from attending school.
Dev goes on to share heartbreaking stories of many girls who get pregnant and are shunned, disowned, or even killed by their families for not providing a male child. The value of birthing a female child is still seen as less than desirable.
Dev shares the tragic story of a young woman who was terrified to tell her in-laws she had a female child. Instead of facing this fear, she disposed of her 2-week-old daughter in a fire. This hostile environment perpetuates the cycle of women seeking dangerous and illegal abortions.
While some new-generation Sri Lankans think the answer is to legalize abortion, Dev stresses the importance of pregnancy resource centers, education, and life-affirming cultural shifts to break these awful patterns that are killing the women of Sri Lanka.
Despite these struggles, Devduni is hopeful for her country. She tells me her parents struggled to conceive her, and her mother had an emergency C-section where she was born unresponsive.
Her name, Devduni, means “Given by God.” What better name than Devduni for a woman who shares that “it will be an honor to help protect the beautiful lives God creates.”
Dev will be the President of the organization she is founding in Sri Lanka with the help of Pro-Life Global.
Come back next Friday to hear more about Devduni’s upcoming work in Sri Lanka.
wow dude imagine prioritising the existence of a literal clump of cells over living breathing actual humans, lmfao. are the mothers not human too? pregnancy is freakin traumatic dude, you wanna force that on somebody in favour of a couple of gametes? lmao. i literally have no words i cannot dude
I applaud the work of all who have a heart for seeing women with child be loved and empowered to keep the life God has given them. Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly. The Word of God says in Jeremiiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb, knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." God is the author of life and He is the ONE who will sustain us when we put our trust in Him. 💖
I hope you know that trying to get rid of a person with a womb's bodily autonomy is rooted in misogyny. You're not helping anyone by protesting healthcare, you're dooming more people to a worse fate. Thanks for advocating for women's rights tho 💀
Wow this z interesting