your family update

When we met Kumari, she stood behind the counter of her tiny shop, her hands arranging goods that few could afford to buy. Her eyes told a story long before her voice did — the story of a mother carrying the weight of four children on her own.

Her income, small and uncertain, can barely stretch to one meal a day. School for her children, something every mother dreams of, feels like a faraway hope she cannot reach. She spoke softly about the days she has to choose — whether to fill her children’s stomachs or keep them in school.

Life became even harder when her husband left. His absence was more than the loss of a partner; it was the loss of stability, of shared burdens, of knowing someone was there to help carry the load. Since then, every day has been a battle to survive. She wakes each morning wondering how she will get through the day, yet she still rises, still works, still hopes.

Her strength is quiet but unshakable. She dreams not for herself, but for her children — that one day they will walk into a better life than the one she fights through now.

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 Kumari. I live in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. I am a person who has faced many difficulties.

(At the time we met Kumari, her family was struggling with the deep poverty and loneliness that followed her husband leaving them. With yours and Palmera’s support, she found the strength to save her own money and start a business, helping her family recover and rebuild their lives)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping my family come out of our poor economic circumstances.

(Initially, we specifically supported her in meeting her daily needs and provided her with the necessary counseling for her mental well-being.)

At first, in order to improve my family’s economic situation, I received an opportunity to rear chickens through Palmera. They gave me 20 chicks and all the training I needed. I have 6 chickens left because the rest of the brood died due to disease. The eggs from the 6 chickens are used for our food and nutritional needs at home.

Also the building of the garden well that Palmera did for me, has helped me with growing my home crops. I use the water from the well to grow my vegetables. Unfortunately, Cyclone Ditwa destroyed half my garden. But I look after what is left of my garden and I am able to still grow enough crops to make a profit. Even after keeping some for the family for our food needs.

(Kumari has now started a small shop of her own by the main road in Galenbindunuwewa town that helps her supplement her income further, giving her family more financial stability and economic independence. And the assets Kumari 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.)

As a woman without a husband, living alone with 4 children, amidst many difficulties, in an unsafe, temporary mud hut, to now living happily in a house with two rooms, a kitchen and hall with my children is something that I have because of Palmera and you Jeremy. And for this, I will forever be grateful from the bottom of my heart.

(Building a new home was not something Kumari could have done alone when she first came to the programme. With Palmera’s further support, the income she had built, and the strength of her community around her, she was able to make it possible. This is what the programme is designed to create. Not dependency, but the conditions in which a family can take the next step for themselves.

And even in the occasion of the housewarming, my village savings group came together to host an event to celebrate it. This gave me so much confidence and a sense of community that I am thankful for.

(Palmera established the village bank in his 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.)

I also want to take this moment to thank everyone who has helped me including everyone I have mentioned above, the government officials, the Palmera officials, Jeremy and everyone who has helped me in every possible way. I bow down in respect for all that you have done.

(Kumari is a woman who has moved towards very strong economic goals, earning a monthly income of about sixty-five thousand rupees. Her children, especially those of school-going age, were not attending school at time we met her. Through the project, by discussing with the relevant authorities and referring the children, they are now successfully attending school. Today, Kumari has also received great social recognition. She engages in various activities together with the women in her village savings group. So now the village community has been motivated to include her in the public works of the village itself.)

I hope that your work continues to help other mothers like me, giving them strength and confidence to start living life.

Thank you.

Kumari

This is our final letter from Kumari. 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.