Vyhari’s 21st Birthday

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

I am from Sydney but am currently studying Dentistry at James Cook University in Cairns. I am absolutely delighted to be celebrating my 21st birthday with my family and friends in April.

I am one of the privileged few, and need nothing more in my life than all your love. However, the same cannot be said about many others around the world. So in place of a birthday gift, I’m kindly inviting you to make a donation to Palmera Projects instead. Palmera is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that implements livelihood projects in rural and vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka.

I’m very excited for the funds to be going to The Water for Life Project! Palmera are working to restore 10 common wells that were damaged by war. This will directly impact 48 families by giving them access to clean drinking water as well as for their farming needs so as to re-establish their livelihoods. Access to clean water will help improve their production so that they can stand on their own two feet in the near-distant future.

Please give what you can to support this amazing project!

Our Mothers’ Eyes

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Next month marks a decade since the end of the brutal civil war that raged in Sri Lanka. Twenty-five years of fighting took a huge toll on the country and its people. We remember all too well the suffering, the loss, and the gruelling process of rebuilding.

To mark this anniversary, we’re hosting Our Mothers’ Eyes. It’s a photo exhibition. It’s a dinner. It’s an opportunity to connect and remember.

But it’s also a celebration.

It’s a celebration of the journey of peace that Sri Lanka has been on for the past ten years. It’s a celebration of Sri Lankan women and their stories. And it’s a celebration of the work that Palmera has been able to do – and will continue to do – thanks to your support.

We’d love you to join us on 11 May for dinner, drinks, and live music. Together, we will remember the past and celebrate the future.

Maya’s Three Red Hands

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Some people just don’t get along. When a curious assortment of hotel guests are brought together, an amusing mix of witty banter, low blows and shady behaviour evolves. When one of them is mysteriously murdered, however, suddenly it’s no longer just about having the last laugh. Join the less-than-motivated police department in making sense of the chaos. Is the murderer the only culprit?

Tickets OUT NOW! Saturday SOLD OUT

Dates: 27th April

Time: 8:00pm

Venue: NIDA Parade Theatre

Contact a member of MAYA Youth in Performing Arts to purchase yours or go through Ticketek

Fiona and Hari’s wedding

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Fiona and I are getting married on the 8 September 2017. We have been planning the wedding festivities for over a year and are very excited for the upcoming events

We have been thinking about doing something special to celebrate our union and the union of our families.

We decided instead of having favours at our wedding for our guests we would do something they would remember and something that would make a difference to others, we would donate money on our guests behalf to Palmera.

I’ve always been a big fan of Palmera and the cause since 2009, when I did the Human Race.  It was heaps of fun and such a clever idea to raise money! So whenever charities come to mind, the first I think of is Palmera. I am also a big advocate for humanitarian issues, and knowing how it has affected families around us, I want to make a change.

We chose the Milking It to Change Lives project because we believe in animal welfare, and agriculture is a very sensitive issue to deal with in regards to animals. The animals deserve to be treated with respect – something that isn’t done very well at all, especially in first-world countries. The fresh start the farmers of the North have is a great opportunity to educate the farmers to ensure that the animals and humans can work together and provide for each other, rather than one hurting the other to get what they want.

We hope our drop in the ocean inspires others to donate further. Together we can all make a more significant change.

 

Kooththu Tamil Kids Fair

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

This year, Ammas and Kutties (a Tamil mothers group in Sydney) will be holding our inaugural event, Kooththu, a children’s fair. Our purpose is to foster a strong sense of identity and social responsibility amongst children of second generation Tamil mothers (and their families!). All proceeds will go to Palmera and we’d love this event to kick start the next generation of philanthropists in our community!

We will have lots of fun activities for the kids, both indoor and outdoor.There will be a tamil kids book launch, Tamil food  and sweet stalls, interactive dance performances, panel discussions for parents and much more… All kids will also receive a goodie bag on arrival.

And for everyone who books their ticket before the 14th of November will go into the draw to win this amazing book gift pack valued at over $140. Book your tickets here to go in the draw today!

We love the work Palmera does to support women just like us. We know it’s just by some twist of fate that we’ve ended up in such a privileged situation and feel it’s our duty to something to support those less fortunate than us, and be great role models for our kids (kutties!) too.

All funds raised will be donated to the Creating Leaders project, we chose this project as its a children’s based project and being amma’s this project spoke to us. The project will provide critical life and employment skills for youth transitioning from school to employment.

Saratha’s 70th Birthday

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal!

On December 23rd I will be celebrating my birthday. I am blessed with everything I need in my life including my beautiful family and friends. As I celebrate this milestone I’d like instead share with one of my favourite charity organisations Palmera.

Palmera is a not-for-profit organisation that focuses mainly on helping people in Sri Lanka who have been displaced due to the civil war. They help provide resources to those less fortunate which in turn enable them to be self-sufficient and financially independent.

I have been a long time supporter and volunteer for Palmera and really value and appreciate the work they do. I chose the Graduating the Poor project to support as it helps the poorest of the poor in Sri Lanka’s North. The project will identify the poorest families and start them on their journey to graduate from being poor.

Thank you for supporting this project and Palmera’s work. I look forward to celebrating with you all soon

Lots of Love,

Saratha

Bobby’s 70th

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

On December 6th , our Appah will be turning 70. It was important for him to celebrate with his family and friends.

What Appah needs, he already has, so he thought that you can celebrate with him by giving to Palmera because you’ve already given him what he needs this year – your blessings and love.

Appah’s birthday will support Palmera’s Connecting to Markets project. This project will help build thriving business farms in the village of Kanthansamy Nagar. In this village building a thriving farm costs as little as $349 per farmer; which is only $78 a year over the 5-year programme. Each of the 105 farmer will learn how to compete and be successful within the farming marketplace and the skills they learn will help them break down barriers that keep them excluded.

Thank you for everything

Love,

Sankeeta (Sangi) and Senthur

Yin and Yang Yoga with a purpose

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

I’m Shivani, a passionate yoga teacher and student. Getting to see people benefit from yoga, both mentally and physically is why I love teaching. To take this passion further, onNovember 13th will be doing a class at the Living Room Yoga Coogee where all the proceeds will go to helping war affected women to stand on their own two feet again.

INTRODUCING YIN AND YANG YOGA

On November 13th, we will be going through a 1 hour open level yin and yang class. The class is open to anyone from beginner’s through to those that have practiced for some time. Both yin and yang co-exist together, and in the world of yoga when practiced together will benefit both the muscular and the deep connective tissues of the body. Yin poses are held for a longer time, and allow the tissues of the body to get a nice stretch. The yang poses are more dynamic, creating heat and can be felt within the muscles of the body. Check out this site for a little more info on Yin and Yang (https://yoga.com/article/balance-yin-yoga-and-yang-yoga)

The Class: All the details you need to know

Location:

Living Room Yoga Coogee (Level 1/62 Carr St, Coogee NSW 2034)

Small intimate classes are great to feel the energy being generated. Max of 25 students, so please book in early. We’ll also have a view of the beach, so great place to move and feel like you are not in the busy hub of Sydney!

Time:
Starts at 12:30pm. Please be there 15 minutes early!

Cost:
This is a donation based class, with a suggested donation of $15-$20. Of course you are more than welcome to donate more!

HOW YOU WILL BE MAKING A DIFFERENCE:

Being married to a French man, in recent years I’ve gained a new appreciation for food, especially food home grown by small scale farmers. But unfortunately these farmers have to compete with larger firms and in countries like Sri Lanka, rural farmers are cut off from knowledge, skills and market access.

I’ve never been one to understand the business side of things, but what I do know is that when given the right tools, the small companies can also make their positive mark on society which is why I was immediately drawn to this project. You can check out more about the project here

Launching the Jaffna Tamil Cookbook

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal!

I’m delighted to announce the launch of my second Sri Lankan cookbook, The Jaffna Tamil Cookbook. Containing more than 300 nourishing traditional recipes, with step-by-step instructions and full-colour photographs, this is a labour of love to celebrate the food cooked by our Ammas, Ammamas and Appachis.

These recipes are not mine. They are our collective, communal recipes, the recipes of our heritage, of women long gone and women who still cook them. They speak of our past, sustain our present, and will grace our future. This cookbook is a great gift for young and old alike to keep the unique cuisine of our people alive.

Proceeds from the sale of the book go towards Palmera’s Women’s Banking Network. I am so pleased to be helping to fund this project, which allows women to build their financial literacy, manage their livelihoods and start to save and access loans. This also lets women work together to overcome the challenges they face in their community. I can’t think of a better way to honour our past than by supporting our future – our next generation.

The launch of The Jaffna Tamil Cookbookwill be held at the Glen Waverley Community Centre on Sunday 2 June 2019, from 3.30pm to 5.00pm. It will include a visual journey through the Tamil Homelands, an ode to the Palmyra Palm and a homage to Yaalpana Veeramani Iyer. Books will be available for sale at $45 a copy. There will also be situndri (snacks) from the book available to satisfy any late afternoon hunger pangs!

I hope to see you there,

Nesa