your family update
You Backed them and things began to change
Eliza
Donor
“My husband left us about 10 years ago. And I have been doing my best to look after my son”
Deepashika is a 30-year-old mother raising her son alone in the Colombo area. Her husband left them about 10 years ago and has not been part of their lives since. They live in a half-built house managing everything by themselves.
With no one to turn to, and rent, food, and her son’s schooling all resting on her alone, Deepashika turned to sex work to make ends meet. It was the only income that kept them fed and housed. She does this work while also living with recurring asthma.
Beyond the physical toll, Deepashika faced stigma from her own community because of the work she does, on top of other pressures weighing on her family. Over time, she has grown to hate the work itself, even as she depended on it to survive.
Despite everything, Deepashika keeps working to provide for her son and hold on to hope for something better. And work she doesn’t despise. She wants a way out of the trade she had come to hate, and a future where her son could complete his education and they could live in peace. She also dreams of a safe and complete home for the two of them.
Please note for many women sharing in written form is not easy. We sit with women to support them to share their story and have added context so you can weave together what you have made possible.
Dear Eliza,
My name is Deepashika. I live in the Colombo area. I have a son. My husband left us about 10 years ago. Since that day I have been living alone, raising my son by myself.
To pay for rent, to give my son food and to send him to school, with no one to turn to for food, my circumstances pushed me towards the sex work trade. It’s the money I make from this work that helped us eat and live. I struggle with recurrent asthma. I was in the sex trade while being sick like this.
(At the time we met Deepashika, her family was struggling with the deep poverty and loneliness that followed her husband leaving them. With Palmera’s support, she found the strength to save her own money and start a business, helping her family recover and rebuild their lives.)
During that time, I met an officer from Palmera who gave me hope. I shared all my sorrows and fears with her. By this time I was sick and tired of the work I was doing. I hated going from man to man to earn enough to eat.
By this time, I was really struggling to make ends meet. I was also being cornered by my community because of the work I did. My family was facing a lot of issues too. After I joined the Palmera program, they gave my children many valuable school supplies. And they didn’t stop there.
Afterwards, they helped me establish a sustainable livelihood. They recognized my talents and gave me the opportunity to recognize my skills myself. There I chose to sell lottery tickets. They bought me a table, shading umbrella and equipment I need. I also stay there and sell corn. My lottery box is by the side of the road. I sell lottery tickets from morning to evening and sell corn on the cob from then on. I also sell ‘bulath vita. I sell my ware from the lottery box till late at night. Per day I make approx. 4000 rupees. Even after spending on my daily expenses, I have about 1500 Rupees left.
(Deepashika previously was not engaged in earning a living income but today through continued mentorship and training she is able to engage economically and this has allowed her income to increase and to meet her basic needs.)
Now my son and I are able to live without hardship. I live happily with peace in my heart. Monthly I make about 100,000 Rupees as income. It’s from these earnings that I am able to do everything. I can’t express the mental freedom I feel. Now I don’t have to be begging around for money. And I feel that I can grow my lottery hut into a shop. That’s my goal. My dream is to develop my business, make sure my son completes his education and live happily.
I don’t have adequate words to express my thanks for everything Eliza has done for me and my son’s future. I have gotten all this because of you. If not for you I would still be in the state I was in, before Palmera. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you.
Deepashika
Our work continues with Deepashika. She has begun the journey to stand on her own, but lasting change takes time. We will walk alongside her for one more year before letting go of her hand. It is this continued accompaniment that makes all the difference. And this is possible because of you. Thank you.
