EARN A LIVING INCOME

My name is Vanisri, and I live with my husband and two children. My husband is a wage earner,but he doesn’thave work every day, and we struggle to meet our basic food needs. Both of ourchildren are studying, but continuing their education is becoming difficult. We live in an unsafehouse with no permanent roof and no doors. However, we have land, and if we could growcrops, we would be able to meet our expenses

My name is Rasaladsumi. My daughter works as a house maid to provide for us, but her income is insufficient and because of my health conditions, I am unable to work. Last year, we tragically lost my son to suicide, which has caused overwhelming stress. We have no access to water, and our situation is dire.

My name is Suntharampal, and I am the head of our family in Theravil. My 85-year-old mother lives with us, and one of my sons lost his leg in a car accident. My husband passed away from cancer, and I work as a daily wage laborer, but there is no steady work. We live in very difficult conditions, with no well to access water and no money for food or medical expenses

My name is Uthayakumari, and I have been living without my husband for 23 years. I have a daughter who suffers from illness and she cannot work. Despite this, I work as a wage labourer, but the income is insufficient. Our home is unsafe and floods when it rains, and we lack basic facilities like a toilet.

My husband, a former carpenter, is unable to work after injuring his spinal cord. As a result, we struggle to meet even our basic food needs. We live in an unsafe house with no water and cannot afford medical treatment for my cancer. We struggle with income for food, medical, or transportation expenses.

My name is Suseela, and my husband is a heart patient who cannot work. I earn a small wage tomeet our daily needs and care for my blind mother, but I cannot afford her medical andtransportation expenses. We have no proper toilet or water facilities and rely on a neighbour forwater. I also suffer from a skin disease, making our situation even more challenging.

My name is Jenthiny, and I have been abandoned by my husband with two children. I work as a wage earner, but there is no work every day, and we live in very difficult conditions with no well and an unsafe house. One of my children faces malnutrition and I struggle to manage that.

My name is Inthurani, and I lost my husband in the final war–nothing has been the same since. My eldest child faces mental illness which requires a lot of care and support and I suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes but can't afford the medicine to manage it. My two sons are studying, but we struggle to meet their education and food needs. I work as a daily wage earner, but there is no work every day

My name is Kanakampal, and I have two sons and an elderly mother who is ill and requires monthly hospital visits. My husband left me two years after we got married. We struggle to meet daily expenses, including transportation and medical costs, as I work as a wage laborer with no guaranteed work

My name is Kokila, and I was abandoned by my husband. I live alone and suffer from heart disease. I work as a wage labourer, but there is no work every day, and I struggle to meet my medical, food needs and without a well, even accessing water is difficult. I know a livelihood is what will allow me to start a small self-employment venture and support myself

My name is Ladsumi. I live with my husband. Both of us are struggling with health issues. My husband suffers from asthma, and I have arthritis in my knees. We have no means of livelihood and no money for medical expenses, relying only on home remedies. We can't afford food or do heavy work, and we are deeply worried about the future. If we had a way to earn a living, we would be able to survive and have hope for a better life.

My name is Sripriya. I have a daughter and a son, both in school despite our hardships. My husband was injured in the war, and since we moved here in 2010, life has been tough. We're very poor, doing wage labour and fishing just to eat. Every day is a battle, and our income barely covers food, let alone our kids' schooling and other needs.

My name is Santhakumar. I have a daughter and a son, both attending school diligently. My husband works hard as a wage-earner, but finding steady employment is a constant challenge. We have lived in a temporary house since 2012, never feeling secure. My days are filled with managing the household and caring for our children. With a little help we can lift ourselves up and achieve some security.

My husband suffers from heart disease and rheumatism, leaving him unable to work. Our son works tirelessly to provide for our food and medical needs, but it’s never enough. We have two acres of land sitting idle, but we lack the capital to make it productive. Cattle rearing is our only chance for survival, offering the stability we desperately need. We ask for your support to help us rebuild our lives.

Our family is going through tough times. I have three sons; my eldest is married, but my other two sons are battling alcohol addiction and don't work. We own one acre of land that sits unused because we can't afford to farm it. My husband works as a labourer, but his earnings aren't enough. To get by, I take on domestic work, but it's still not sufficient to meet our daily needs. Our situation is dire, and every day feels like a struggle.

My name is Chandradevi. I have two sons, and my husband battles heart disease. To survive, one of my sons works tirelessly as a labourer to provide us with food. I bear the scars of war, plagued by headaches and struggling with a visual impairment. We rely solely on my son's income to meet our basic needs and medical expenses. Since we resettled in this village in 2010, every day is a painful reminder of our ongoing hardship.

I am Kanthaiya, and I live with my wife in a temporary home. Age and illness keep us from working, and our children cannot support us. With just 8,000 LKR a month, survival is a daily struggle. Goat rearing can give us the means to stand on our own again.

My name is Vijayamalar. I'm 45, widowed after my husband died in the war, leaving me with four children. I work every day for wages just to put food on the table. Despite remarrying, my second husband also struggles to find steady work. I had to send my 18-year-old son to work, burdened by guilt as he helps support his siblings. Without a stable income, our future feels uncertain and bleak. We desperately need help to give our family a chance to thrive.

My name is Selventhiran. I have two daughters and two sons, all attending school. I work tirelessly in a garment factory, while my husband risks his health collecting and selling honey from the forest. We fish in the pond for additional income. Despite our relentless efforts, we endure profound poverty, battling daily to provide for our children's education and basic needs, a constant struggle that weighs heavily on our hearts.

My name is Nithiya. My husband struggles to find steady work, and I manage our home while our son goes to school. Since 2015, we have lived in a temporary house, without the security of a permanent home. Every day is filled with uncertainty, and survival is a constant challenge. We dream of stability and a brighter future for our son.

My name is Luxmi. In 2011, we moved to Manikapuram village from India for a new beginning. With two children in school, my husband's neurological illness makes regular work impossible. Some days he manages as a wage-earner, barely enough for food. I juggle household duties and odd jobs to make ends meet. It's a constant battle to survive, and we're grateful for any help we receive.

My name is Sunthari, and my husband and I are facing many challenges. Our two children are married and no longer support us. My husband suffers from a kidney problem and needs to visit Killinochi Hospital three times a month, but we can't afford the transportation or medical costs. I sell appam to provide food, but the income is insufficient. If we could receive help with agriculture, it would make a significant difference and help us sustain our livelihood.

My husband fell while working on a construction site and hasn't been able to work properly ever since that injury. We don't have a toilet, water is scarce and I am trying with the labour work we get to feed the family and educate my children. It is not enough, there is a wall between where we are and where we need to get to and we don’t know how to climb this wall.

I look after my mother, but she and I both have epilepsy. It is hard to earn enough for both of our medical requirements and because of this, our health suffers. I have to also look after my son and ensure he is fed – right now I do that by selling some of the coconuts from our trees, but that is not enough to always have ends meet.

My husband had a bad head injury during the war and ever since is unable to stand for long periods and work. We have no toilet and no water access so we are unable to cultivate our land. We want to work but there are many challenges for us and with our children, my youngest only 5, we have a long way ahead of us.

My husband has epilepsy and because of our situation we can't afford to treat it properly. My youngest of two children is in preschool and she has recurring infections that means I also need to find money for her health needs. We don’t have a permanent house, well or toilet. Each day we must think about food and how we are all going to survive.

My husband committed suicide over 12 years ago and since then, life has been very difficult. I have raised my two children and tried to find enough work to put food on the table. We live in a temporary house, we do not have access to water and for years we have lived day to day, eating when we can.

I have four children so I have to stay home to look after them. My husband gets seasonal labour work but it is increasingly irregular which means that with his income there is never enough to feed all the children, and we can barely buy them the books they need for their schooling.

My husband used to climb coconut trees but one day he fell, landed in a well and badly injured himself. He is no longer able to work and so I do labour work when I can. It is hard to get regular work and with the money I earn I am unable to meet the educational needs for my children. All I want is to ensure my kids can go to school and have a better life.

I am a cook at the local preschool and earn a small wage from that but I have four children to feed and educate. My husband has kidney failure and is unable to labour, and my income is unable to cover his health expenses so his health continues to decline. Each day I do my best, but right now my best is not putting enough food on the table.