Adoptive sisters Iresha and Inoka from Sevenum raise money for their birth village in Sri Lanka

Iresha and Inoka Knops, two sisters who were adopted from Sri Lanka in 1985 by Ine and Ed Knops, are committed to the future of their birth village. The ladies grew up in the Netherlands, but discovered by chance last year that their biological mother, a sister, four half-brothers and a half-sister are still alive. What started as an emotional reunion, resulted in a mission to help the community in their birth village.
 

The discovery of their biological mother came unexpectedly during a holiday of Iresha. "It was very special, emotional and very beautiful," the sisters say. Although they never planned to visit their biological family, the meeting brought peace. "It is nice to know that our adoption went well and that our biological mother supported it."

From support to action

During their visit, Iresha and Inoka were confronted with the poverty in their home village. Although they support their biological mother financially, they wanted to do more for their family and the rest of the community. “We didn’t just want to give money, but to ensure that people can develop and build a better future,” Iresha explains. The idea arose to set up a community college, with which they want to invest in education and development together with the Dutch Sampath Foundation.

A warm childhood in Sevenum

Iresha and Inoka have fond memories of their childhood in Sevenum. They grew up in a loving family, surrounded by animals and nature. “We could try everything and play outside,” Inoka remembers. Ed and Ine Knops adopted a total of four children from Sri Lanka. “Our adoptive parents are really our parents. We never felt like we had to look for others,” the sisters say. Father Ed Knops says: "We always said, if you want to look, we will look with you. But they simply never felt that need."

Common goal

To finance their project, the family organized a ceramics day. The proceeds go directly to the collection for Sri Lanka. Iresha's sons also actively help. "It's good that attention is being paid to this case," says one of them. "We hope to raise a lot of money."

Dream for Sri Lanka

Iresha and Inoka's campaign is called Dream for Sri Lanka. Through their Go Fund Me page, they hope to raise enough donations to make their dream for the village come true. With their campaign, Iresha and Inoka not only want to help their family, but also give the entire village a chance for a better future. Anyone who wants to contribute to this special mission can donate via their campaign page.