your family update
You Backed them and things began to change
“We have no toilet so there’s no choice. If there’s a need, we dig a hole in the ground.”
Kanmani lives in a village in Sri Lanka’s East with her husband and their sixteen-year-old son. They have been in this small home for five years. Every day is about working so that they can eat. And somedays there simply isn’t enough. Kanmani says, “Only if my husband goes to work, we have food, otherwise we struggle to eat.”
Her husband does daily wage work, like loading paddy onto lorries. He will do whatever work that comes his way. Some days there is work, but some days there isn’t. When there’s no work, they borrow from the shop, promising to pay at the end of the month, or take a loan from neighbours or relatives to cover food and bills.
Even though they work hard, money is scarce. They also have debts to settle. And every time they get some money, they try to pay at least some of it off.
Their son will take his final exams this year. All the work they do is to make sure he can go to school. They cannot build a proper house because everything goes for food, loans and bills. At home, they do not have a toilet. At night, if there’s a need, they dig a hole outside.
Kanmani grew up in a family of eight. Life is harder now than before she got married. During the war, she stayed in a camp with almost no food or belongings. People brought them food and essential goods, and that helped them survive.
They keep working hard and managing each day. They take every job they can, buy food on credit, pay loans, and keep their son in school. This is their hope. That their son will finish school and find good work, and be able to live a comfortable life without the difficulties they have had to face.