After 30 Years of Uncertainty, a Family Comes Home

When Kiddan Mangalaeswaran and his wife Rosammah began their life together, they dreamed of making a lasting home for their family.

In 1991, this dream came one step closer to reality when they bought land in Muhamalai, a town in northern Sri Lanka. They hoped to raise their three daughters there.

Just a few years later, in 1995, the Sri Lankan Civil War uprooted this budding future. The family had to leave their beloved home when Muhamalai became a dangerous front line between government forces and the Tamil Tigers.

For years after they left, displacement was a recurrent reality. They moved several times and faced constant instability. Kiddan struggled to support his wife and daughters as a day laborer.

The conflict ended in 2009. However, the remaining weapons still threatened communities long after peace was declared.

Muhamalai had turned into one of the world's most crowded minefields during the war. By the end, an area three times the size of Central Park was filled with landmines and explosives.

The family knew that even if they came back, they wouldn’t be able to live safely – the danger still lingered.

Everything changed when The HALO Trust began clearing Muhamalai. This included Kiddan and Rosammah’s land.

After the last explosive was destroyed in 2024, the land was declared safe. By July of that year, the family had made one final move: the move back to their long-awaited home.

Now, they are taking back the lives they left behind all those years ago.

Since his family’s homecoming, Kiddan has worked diligently at rebuilding their future.

Now, they are building a permanent house and a well so they can access clean water on the property. Kiddan divided the land among his daughters; he hopes this will give them lasting stability for generations.

It is safe to say that Kiddan and Rosammah’s dream has come back to life.

By giving today, you can help families who have been displaced by conflict, just like Kiddan's, come home safely.