Sri Lanka crisis: Parents forced to pick which child can go to school

She's up an hour before her two sisters and two brothers so that she can scrape some bright red gloss off her fingernails. Today is her first day back at school and she wants to be spotless. But her siblings must stay at home - her family can only afford to send her. Six months ago, Sri Lanka was in the eye of the storm for its worst economic crisis since independence. While calm has largely returned to the island nation, the full impact of mass unemployment and dramatic price rises is now visible among many families.

Every parent's nightmare

Malki's mother Priyanthika has had to pause her children's schooling so they can earn money by selling fireworks. Food prices in Sri Lanka reached record levels when inflation hit an all-time high of almost 95%. Some days, no-one in Malki's family eats. While school is free in Sri Lanka, meals are not provided. When you add in the cost of uniforms and transport, education is a luxury Priyanthika can no longer afford.