Meet Selvakumary.
Her husband recently died. They had little, but they sold everything to pay for his medical expenses.
She has five children and now needs to find a way forward. Her eldest son has dropped out of school to support his mother and to look after the family. When we meet them, he doesn’t speak much. Sometimes, the strongest don’t.
Despite her tough circumstances, Selvakumary has one quality that will power through – resilience. She’s determined to find work to continue to put food on the table for her children and ensure that they get through this.
She is not alone
There are 5 other women just like Selvakumary. Each of them, when their husbands left home, faced the harsh reality of not being to financially support themselves or their families.
Santhiralatha – She tried to commit suicide three time. With three young children when her husband died she had no idea how she could give them any life. But somehow she was able to figure out a way forward until her cancer diagnosis. During that time she again lost everything. Now, with no strength to continue, she needs to find a way forward.
Dayana – The victim of domestic violence, her husband left her with two small children. With the physical and emotional scars and the mouths of two children on her shoulders she struggles each day to find a way forward.
Manjula – Her husband, the breadwinner of the household, was finding it increasingly difficult to find work as a labourer. Just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, Manjula awoke one morning to find that her husband had unexpectedly left home. Manjula has always relied on her husband’s income to run the household, and most importantly, feed her three daughters, aged 17, 11 and 8.
She found a job as a cleaner, sweeping roads during the day. It doesn’t pay well but it allows her to balance earning an income with looking after her daughters. Her current income barely allows her to meet their daily needs.
Thanalaksmi – Living in a temporary shelter and working in a local factory, she is struggling each day to feed and educate her three children. Her work is physically tiring, and her pay is little, but it is the only consistent work she can find.
Lelosani – Her husband recently died leaving her to struggle with 2 young children. Determined to take care of them, she is working in a garment factory now to save some money to rebuild her temporary shelter so that she can at least put a safe roof over their head.
The Problem
Women like Manjula have several things in common:
- They rely solely on their husbands for income.
- They have young children and minimal social networks, usually owing to their vulnerability to obtain the required support.
- They have little knowledge on how to cultivate their own land.
- They have little capital to invest.
If they are able to find employment, they usually work the bare minimum hours, leaving their children with neighbours or at home alone. They are driven to earn enough to feed their children. In the process, the mothers usually go without food – it is better to not eat, than to have their children be unsafe.
What we can do with your help
We will empower Manjula and these 5 women to graduate them from barely surviving to thriving.
- We will start by connecting them to social protection services, to ensure that they have access to the basics – food, shelter and drinking water.
- We will equip them with the skills to develop a home garden, to ensure long term food security and build their confidence in agriculture.
- We will ensure that they have a pathway to earning a living income, preferably via a home-based business, so that they can care for their children and be close to them to meet their daily needs.
- We will connect them to critical financial and market services, so that they can continue to grow their income.
- We will build life skills and integrate them into women-based groups – this develops confidence and provides the support required so that they can tackle life’s most challenging times
The bigger picture
Selvakumary and these 5 women are part of a larger program that Palmera is running called Graduating the Poor, which focuses on 600 families struggling to eat three times a day. To learn more about that program, click here.
How will we update you?
We want to share with you the impact you have had by supporting these families. We will share a video through to your mobile (so make sure you provide that on your donation).
Five Women
Meet Selvakumary.
Her husband recently died. They had little, but they sold everything to pay for his medical expenses.
She has five children and now needs to find a way forward. Her eldest son has dropped out of school to support his mother and to look after the family. When we meet them, he doesn’t speak much. Sometimes, the strongest don’t.
Despite her tough circumstances, Selvakumary has one quality that will power through – resilience. She’s determined to find work to continue to put food on the table for her children and ensure that they get through this.
She is not alone
There are 5 other women just like Selvakumary. Each of them, when their husbands left home, faced the harsh reality of not being to financially support themselves or their families.
Santhiralatha – She tried to commit suicide three time. With three young children when her husband died she had no idea how she could give them any life. But somehow she was able to figure out a way forward until her cancer diagnosis. During that time she again lost everything. Now, with no strength to continue, she needs to find a way forward.
Dayana – The victim of domestic violence, her husband left her with two small children. With the physical and emotional scars and the mouths of two children on her shoulders she struggles each day to find a way forward.
Manjula – Her husband, the breadwinner of the household, was finding it increasingly difficult to find work as a labourer. Just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, Manjula awoke one morning to find that her husband had unexpectedly left home. Manjula has always relied on her husband’s income to run the household, and most importantly, feed her three daughters, aged 17, 11 and 8.
She found a job as a cleaner, sweeping roads during the day. It doesn’t pay well but it allows her to balance earning an income with looking after her daughters. Her current income barely allows her to meet their daily needs.
Thanalaksmi – Living in a temporary shelter and working in a local factory, she is struggling each day to feed and educate her three children. Her work is physically tiring, and her pay is little, but it is the only consistent work she can find.
Lelosani – Her husband recently died leaving her to struggle with 2 young children. Determined to take care of them, she is working in a garment factory now to save some money to rebuild her temporary shelter so that she can at least put a safe roof over their head.
The Problem
Women like Manjula have several things in common:
- They rely solely on their husbands for income.
- They have young children and minimal social networks, usually owing to their vulnerability to obtain the required support.
- They have little knowledge on how to cultivate their own land.
- They have little capital to invest.
If they are able to find employment, they usually work the bare minimum hours, leaving their children with neighbours or at home alone. They are driven to earn enough to feed their children. In the process, the mothers usually go without food – it is better to not eat, than to have their children be unsafe.
What we can do with your help
We will empower Manjula and these 5 women to graduate them from barely surviving to thriving.
- We will start by connecting them to social protection services, to ensure that they have access to the basics – food, shelter and drinking water.
- We will equip them with the skills to develop a home garden, to ensure long term food security and build their confidence in agriculture.
- We will ensure that they have a pathway to earning a living income, preferably via a home-based business, so that they can care for their children and be close to them to meet their daily needs.
- We will connect them to critical financial and market services, so that they can continue to grow their income.
- We will build life skills and integrate them into women-based groups – this develops confidence and provides the support required so that they can tackle life’s most challenging times
The bigger picture
Selvakumary and these 5 women are part of a larger program that Palmera is running called Graduating the Poor, which focuses on 600 families struggling to eat three times a day. To learn more about that program, click here.
How will we update you?
We want to share with you the impact you have had by supporting these families. We will share a video through to your mobile (so make sure you provide that on your donation).