your family update
You Backed them and things began to change
Senthuran Velnayagam
Donor
When we met Inthurani, the weight of loss and hardship was palpable in her home. She is a widow of the final war, struggling to rebuild life for herself and her three children. Her eldest child faces mental illness, demanding constant care and attention, while Inthurani herself battles high blood pressure and diabetes, unable to afford the medicine she needs.
Her two sons attend school, but even sending them to class is a challenge as she struggles to meet basic needs for food and education. Work comes and goes — some days she earns as a daily wage laborer, but often there is no work at all. Despite this, she moves forward each day, quietly enduring, caring for her children, and holding onto hope that a more stable life is possible.
Inthurani’s story is one of resilience and courage in the face of overwhelming challenges. With support for her health, food, and her children’s education, she dreams of stability — a life where her children can grow, learn, and live beyond the hardships that have defined their early years.
We’ve captured their voice so you can hear their story.
I am from Valluvapuram village (Village name). My name is Rajamanoharan Inthurani. My husband died during the war, and I have three children: two boys and a girl. One of my children is a fruit and vegetable cultivator, and the other is studying. We were invited by this village savings group, where they gave us guidance and good advice. With their support, we took loans, bought chickens, built a chicken coop, raised chickens, and started fruit and vegetable cultivation.
(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).
Since my husband was not there, I went to wage work to raise the children. But now, I am no longer going for wage work, as my son has grown up and helps take care of us. Before joining the village savings group, we had no savings. Now, we are growing fruit and vegetables on our land and using them to meet our household expenses. We also planted peanuts, though heavy rains caused significant damage.
The Palmera team helped us by providing goats. They gave us five goats, and now we have raised 12. We have not sold any yet, but we hope to make a profit and move forward. There are no major problems now; we are managing well and living a stable life.
The family who helped you is the Senthuran Velnayagam family. What would you like to say to them?
Because of their help, we are now doing well at home without needing wage work. We have raised goats, chickens, and cultivated fruits and vegetables. Their support has made a big difference for us, and we wish them to be blessed and prosper.
