your family update
You Backed them and things began to change
Delany D
Donor
When we first met Mathivathani, we saw a woman carrying the weight of an entire family on her shoulders. Her husband had fallen ill and could no longer work because of problems with his legs. Overnight, Mathivathani became the sole provider, the caregiver, and the only hope for their two children. Each day was a battle — managing medical expenses, feeding her family, and somehow keeping her children in school.
But survival came with an unrelenting cost. Without any strong skills to earn a steady income, and already trapped in mounting debt, Mathivathani was left with little choice but to borrow more just to get through the day. Her dreams for her children’s future felt further and further away as she struggled to keep them from slipping into the same cycle of hardship.
Behind her determined eyes, we saw both courage and quiet exhaustion — a woman doing everything she could, yet silently carrying the fear that it would never be enough. When we met her, Mathivathani’s story was one of resilience, but also of deep struggle and sacrifice.
We’ve captured their voice so you can hear their story.
How is your family now?
I was in a very difficult situation earlier.I have three children who drink milk. It was very difficult to send all three children to tuition classes. Even then, we ate only two meals a day. We lived like that until we received a livelihood from Palmera. We started dairy farming and sold milk, and now I have money in my hand. And my children didn’t even know what tuition classes were. My children now go to tuition classes. We eat three meals a day now. We are drinking milk.
Do you think there have been changes in your family now?
Since I had no money, I was expecting my husband when he will give money and how much he will give. But now I don’t have that expectation. I sell milk through my livelihood, and I get a good income. I don’t depend only on my husband. I can pay my children’s tuition fees. We eat three meals a day. We used to drink plain tea, but now we drink milk tea. As a woman, I have gained confidence.
Have you joined these village savings groups?
(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).
Yes, I joined the village savings group because of what the other women said. I didn’t know much about it before. Now that I have joined the group, I have started saving and practicing. I am happy about it.
What is your future goal?
I want to increase my dairy farming with 5 cows and increase my livelihood. I want to be happy; that is my expectation.
The Delany D family in Australia helped you so that your family could be happy. Do you want anything for them?
I am grateful to them for supporting us with our livelihood. I have benefited greatly from their help. I pray that they and their families live long and healthy lives. I continue to thank them from the bottom of my heart.