Sri Lanka is NOT as poor as it portrays itself to be. While it attempts now to appeal to its huge amount of citizens working in foreign lands to remit foreign currencies into Sri Lanka, an attempt to booster it's dollar value through the exchange rate, as well as CIRCULATION of money into its economy to create jobs & opportunities, such may not be enough.
The true value & finances of Sri Lanka lays in its culture - being indians whom had for centuries well known to be miserly & will save every penny than to use it frivolously for investments but usually scammed by the corrupted, being an agrarian society & see no need for higher education, one area that they will spend on is RELIGION, to seek for solace & in the hope that donations to such causes will ensure a good life in the immediate or the next, from simple village farming families to even the corrupted leaders, in many of its religious events-birth, marriages, death, daily living, etc, & for CENTURIES
Thus, the RECIPIENTS of such donations - in coins, gold or in kind, are the religious authorities in the land & are the RICHEST with IMMENSE wealth unimaginable, that would pay off not only its debt obligations, but even buy over India if it is for sale.
This is no fantasy, but a reality as happened in India when they went into debt, found out that their temples were holding HUGE amounts of gold & currencies HIDDEN under floorboards, unspent for centuries. It happened even in Thailand, where the monks were far more irreligious & rooted to material worldly wealth - used those funds for lavish lifestyles, such as flying 1st class on flights,etc. Even Islam - a religion of peace - was not spared, as it was found out in the war on terror by Humanity - its huge mosque run zakat funds were used to finance terrorism.....
Thus, if Sri Lanka wants to elevate its civilization & people, & meet its obligations to international lenders whom had been kind enough to offer help - start looking at its temples fund - in banks & under temple floorboards.