your family update
You Backed them and things began to change
Briththa Seevaratnam
Donor
When we met Chandradevi, she was quiet, but her eyes spoke volumes—carrying the weight of pain and loss that words could never fully capture. The lines on her face told the story of years spent fighting to survive amid hardship and uncertainty.
Chandradevi lives in a small village where her family was resettled after the war in 2009. Since that time, life has been a relentless struggle. Her husband suffers from heart disease and is too weak to work, leaving the family without a steady income. One of her sons, still young but forced to grow up fast, has taken on the heavy responsibility of earning daily wages. His small earnings are all they have to buy food and medicine for the family—but no matter how hard he works, it’s never enough to meet their needs.
Chandradevi herself carries invisible wounds that run deep. She suffers from constant, pounding headaches—a painful reminder of the trauma she endured during the war. On top of that, her eyesight is failing, making every day’s tasks harder and more exhausting. But despite the physical and emotional weight she bears, Chandradevi pushes forward with quiet courage and unshakable strength.
There is no bitterness in her voice, only a fragile hope—a hope that one day her family will live without the constant fear of hunger or illness. A hope that they will find the chance to breathe freely, to live with dignity, and to dream again. It is this hope that keeps her going, day after day, despite the hardships that surround her.
We’ve captured their voice so you can hear their story.
I am Chandradevi Rajagopal. We live in Manikkapuram (village name). I have two children. I live with my husband. He is ill, and my mother is 85 years old, and she lives with me. I am also taking care of my mother. I also have a visual impairment.
(Palmera established a village bank in our community to develop financial literacy—a place where we could save and access loans to reduce our debt from predatory lenders).
The Palmera team came to this village and established a women village bank for us and invited us as women to join a Palmera village bank to save. Earlier I did not have any savings in the bank. But now I go to the village bank meeting every Sunday and save 100 to 150 LKR (approx. $0.75 AUD). We are now doing fruit and vegetable cultivation. We were given seeds by Palmera. Since we are doing fruit and vegetable cultivation, we do not buy vegetables from the shop. We take those vegetables, cook them, and eat them. We sell the excess vegetables to the shop. We use that money and buy some fish to cook. Palmera gave us peanut seeds through the village bank. I had cultivated them on 1/4 acre of land initially. I have repeated that cultivation and am now doing it on 1 acre. I am saving the profit from those peanuts and taking care of the expenses. I am getting more income from peanuts.
Now I have been selected as a dairy beneficiary. I have set up a cow shed (with Palmera support). I am happy that I will be provided with a cow continuously. I can take milk from it and sell it and meet my household needs and continue to eat happily. When more profits come from it. I am ready to continue saving.
Mother, this help was given to you by Brinda Seevaratnam. What do you want to say to her?
I do not know the daughter who helped me. A generous, anonymous supporter has made this possible. I pray that God blesses them and that their family will be a blessing. I express my heartfelt gratitude to them—this is my sincere wish.
Please note for many beneficiaries sharing in written form is not easy. We sit with these men and women to support them to share their story and have added context so you can weave together what you have made possible.
My name is Rajagopal Chandradevi. I live in a village called Manikkapuram. I live with my two sons and one daughter. My eldest daughter has an injured leg and is currently unable to walk. My husband has a heart condition. He is in a state where he cannot go to work. Before Palmera came to our village, my family and I were in poverty. We had no permanent income and were in a helpless state with no savings. I did not have enough money to save. I faced great difficulty even for my daily food needs.
(At the time we met Chandradevi, her family was struggling with deep poverty. With Palmera’s support, she found the strength to save her own money and build a livelihood, helping her family recover and rebuild their lives.)
While I was in this situation, a savings group was established in our village. At that time, Palmera’s staff came to us directly and discussed our situation. I was able to discuss my poverty with them easily, without any hesitation or fear. When I discussed my worries with the organization’s staff, they were loving and supportive. I wanted to join this group, and whenever I could, I started saving 20 rupees. Then I realized that this amount of savings was not enough. I felt motivated that I should save more. My effort was to increase my savings as much as possible.
During this time, I needed money for my husband’s medical needs. I asked my neighbours, but I couldn’t get any. So, I went to my group and got an emergency loan of 2000 rupees. I was able to meet my husband’s medical needs, which was a happy thing. From then on, the thought that I no longer needed to beg from anyone grew in me. At that time, I made a vow that I would not stop my savings for any reason. I gained the confidence that by saving, I could meet all my needs in the future. Last year, I had 42,760 rupees as savings. It is a matter of pride that I have this amount saved.
(Palmera established the village bank in her village to develop financial literacy, a place to save and revolve their savings as loans to reduce their debt from predatory lenders. Through the village bank, people come together each week to talk, to share what is going on and support each other. This is a foundation for change. Because change happens in community and that is exactly what these structures support.)
My family was facing various difficulties in meeting our daily food needs. It was at this time that I received a dairy cow through Palmera’s livelihood program. Through that dairy cow, I now get an income of 12,000 to 14,000 rupees per week. I am also able to use the milk for our daily food needs.
Next, through the group, seeds for brinjal, chilli, tomato, beans, and snake gourd were provided. With those, I started a small home garden and used the produce for my food needs, and I sell the rest to my neighbours. From that money, I am able to take what I need for my personal expenses too.
Next, chickens were provided by the organization. I raised them, and I now have 14 chickens. They lay eggs. The eggs are used for my food needs, and I sell the rest to the small shops in my village. I save that money. Sometimes I take them to my group meeting and sell the eggs to the members there.
Next, I am cultivating groundnuts. Through the organization, I bought 1/4 acre of groundnuts. Now I am cultivating on half an acre. Once every three months, I get an income of 70,000 to 80,000 rupees from the sale of groundnuts. Today, I am so proud that I no longer need to borrow money from anyone.
(Palmera focuses on peanuts because it is a profitable sector that many in the region were not able to profitably engage in. What was needed was to address many last mile agricultural barriers including new practices, technologies, access to quality seeds and collective purchasing of inputs and selling, all activities that we supported Chandradevi with.)
(The assets Chandradevi has built through the programme -her animals, her cultivation, her skills- belong entirely to her. When Palmera’s support ends, these income sources do not disappear. What she has built continues. This is what sustainable economic independence looks like.)
I, who was once dependent on my husband’s income, am now in a position to make all the decisions. My neighbours and relatives, having seen my progress, came to me and asked about my experience with the savings group. I told them what I could about the experiences, and I helped three of them join my group.
(When a woman who once came for support becomes the person her neighbours seek out for guidance, the programme’s purpose has been fulfilled. Chandradevi is now a resource for her community, extending the reach of what you have made possible.)
On behalf of my family, I am proud to express my heartfelt thanks to Britta, who provided assistance to me and my family. I pray to God and wish for Britta to live a long life with good health. We have not seen you in person. But we see you in the form of God, who has raised our family’s income through aid projects. May God’s grace always be with you and your family.
Thank you,
Chandradevi.
This is our final letter from Chandradevi. The programme is complete. And what she has built will not end when our work does. She came to us with no savings, no reliable income, and no clear path forward. She leaves with all three. And with the skills, confidence, and community to keep building what she has started long after this programme ends. Thank you for making all this possible. We couldn’t have done it without your generosity.
