your family update
You Backed them and things began to change
Gerard Rayappu
Donor
When we first met Nishanthi, we saw a mother weighed down by struggles no parent should have to face. She has three daughters, and her youngest, just four years old, suffers from a severe skin disease that requires constant care and adds significant medical costs to the family. Her husband works as a laborer, but often does not provide money for the household, leaving Nishanthi to manage feeding her children, paying for school, and ensuring her youngest receives the treatment she desperately needs. Every day is a battle against both poverty and illness, and the fear of not being able to meet her children’s basic needs looms over her constantly.
Despite the hardships, Nishanthi’s spirit shows glimpses of quiet determination. She longs to stand on her own two feet and provide her daughters with stability and care, but the path forward feels uncertain and overwhelming. Meeting her, it was impossible not to feel the weight of her struggle—the sleepless nights, the constant worry, and the courage it takes just to survive. Nishanthi’s story is a powerful reminder of the resilience of mothers who fight tirelessly for their children, even when the odds seem stacked against them, and how the right support could open the door to hope and a brighter future for her family.
We’ve captured their voice so you can hear their story.
How is your family’s situation now?
Since Palmera provided cows for my livelihood, I now produce seven liters of milk daily. My husband works as a wage laborer, and I meet my family’s expenses by selling milk. With this income, I can cover the education expenses of my three daughters. This milk business has been a tremendous support and has greatly helped me. Additionally, with the income from milk, I have invested in my fruit and vegetable cultivation, where I have planted banana and cassava.
(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).
Are you a attending to the village savings group?
Yes, I am attending. I do savings there. Earlier, I did not have the habit of saving, but now I save regularly through the village savings group. This savings group has become a place where we share our family problems and find happiness together. My savings have been steadily increasing. We no longer need to rely on external banks that charge high interest rates. The loans provided by the village group are interest-free, and we can repay them little by little.
As a woman, How do you feel now that you are able to earn money from the dairy sector?
I feel very happy and proud that I can take care of my children’s education expenses with the income I earn from these cattle. It fills me with immense joy to achieve this as a woman. I also use this income to meet my household cooking needs, and my husband relies on it for emergency expenses.
What is your future goal?
My goal is to expand my small cattle business into a large-scale cattle farm. I also want to cultivate my land more extensively through agriculture. Currently, I live in a temporary house, but I dream of building my own home with my own earnings.
Gerard Rayappu from Australia is the family supporting you to live happily, do you have a message for him?
I sincerely pray to God that Gerard Rayappu, who has brought happiness to my family, may live a long and healthy life of 100 years.
