PAST CAMPAIGNS

Seynthan’s 30th

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

I feel very lucky and grateful to have grown up in Australia for the most part of my life even though I was born in Sri Lanka. Over that time, I have somewhat lost touch with my roots without even being aware of its importance. With the love and help of some great people in my life, I have slowly but surely come to realise the value of the roots and culture of Sri Lanka. So, over the last few months I’ve made some goals to go back to visit this year and to also do volunteer work in the future.

As I reach my 30th year of life, I feel that supporting Palmera’s Youth Vets project would be a wonderful way to build momentum on this path back to my roots. Palmera is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that implements livelihood projects in rural and vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka. This project aims to assist dairy farmers based in the area of Sri Lanka with the lowest annual milk production rate, by training community vets.

As you all know, I am planning to have a simple but swell birthday catch-up and would love if you could generously donate to this cause instead of bringing gifts. See you soon!

Much Love,

Seynthan

Naaviyah’s First Birthday

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

Little Naaviyah is turning ONE! Naaviyah will have a small celebration with family, but she would also like to help make a positive impact on the lives of those in need. Naaviyah would like to support Palmera’s Graduating the Poor project. Any donation will help!

Sri Lanka’s north has a number of the country’s absolute poorest. They struggle to put food on the table, find work opportunities and access support services. They aren’t ready to be connected with the market; right now, they’re worried about sheer survival.

This particular project identifies the 100 of the poorest in the selected area and works with them over 2 years to graduate them out of absolute poverty. The project is designed to address their immediate needs while also investing in their longer-term training, development and planning. It helps families secure the basic things like food and access to healthcare, but it also aims to build their financial resilience through savings.

Naaviyah would like to thank you all from the bottom of her heart!

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

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.

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