His hair is neatly combed, but Milton Pereira and his family cannot afford to buy enough food to eat, his cheeks are sunken and his veins clearly visible on his gaunt frame. In the face of a months-long economic crisis that has seen rampant inflation and protests that last week brought down the president, Sri Lankans are buying less, eating less and working less. With no foreign exchange reserves for imports and having defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt, Sri Lanka is experiencing crippling shortages of fuel, medicines and other essentials. According to the World Food Programme, nearly five million people -- 22 percent of the population -- need food aid. In its latest assessment, it said more than five out of every six families were either skipping meals, eating less, or buying worse food. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES