While working as a documentary filmmaker and journalist, Michael Kreitmeir, born in the Bavarian Eichstätt, repeatedly has seen the downside of life, injustice, misery, violence, exploitation and suffering. Already in the early 1990s he started to support concrete aid projects financially and also with advice and active support – in 1998 he founded the first children’s home in Sri Lanka. Working for and with children in need in the island state plunged in civil war at that time, more and more became Kreitmeir’s lifetime commitment. Half of the time between 2000 and 2004 he lived in Sri Lanka and the other half in Bavaria. After the tsunami catastrophe devastation and suffering were so extreme and there was so much to do that he finally had to give up his life in Germany and moved permanently to Sri Lanka. 2007 Kreitmeir founded Little Smile Organic (LSO) as a partner project supposed to provide long-term economic support to the children’s village in Koslanda. And here is where he has his main domicile now – from here he takes charge of numerous projects of the Little Smile Association (LSA) and the farms of Little Smile Organic.
People  Shiran Silva belongs to the Catholic minority in Sri Lanka. He studied philosophy and theology but then decided to leave the Don Bosco Salesian Order to help and directly support the poor and disadvantaged in his country. Looking for the right project for his engagement he came to the Little Smile Association in 2005. In the beginning he worked directly under Michael Kreitmeir in the children’s village Mahagedara and after that in the tsunami aid projects. 2008 Michael Kreitmeir asked his “model student” to take over the responsibility for the farm in Dikkapitiya and enhance its economic development. Since 2010 Shiran Silva has been director of the LSO farms but as secretary he is also closely connected with the LSA aid organization.
On the farms we have permanent workers as well as daily workers. We preferably hire abandoned women or widows who have to raise their children all alone. Working hours are regulated in such a way that these women are able to manage the dual challenge. There is at least one family living as a kind of care taker on each of both farms “Rajagiri” and “Luxmi Estate”. In case of need our workers can live with their families free of charge in our farm houses. Since 2013 Annkathrin Blank has been one of the directors of Little Smile Organic. |