your family update

When we first stepped into Piremnath’s home, the air felt heavy — not from heat, but from the quiet weight of unspoken struggles.

Four generations live under this roof: her mother, her husband, her son, and her bright-eyed little girl. Yet laughter feels like a guest who rarely visits.

Both she and her husband live with the quiet battles of mental illness. Work comes and goes like the wind. He labors far away in Jaffna, sending home what little he earns, but the coins disappear into meals that never seem to last. Some days, the children stay home from school. The walls of the house are still bare, the tap they dream of is still only a dream.

Water is a daily burden. Every drop must be carried from far away. But when Piremnath speaks of her dream, her eyes light up — if she had a water tank, she would begin fruit and vegetable cultivation, filling her small yard with life. It is her passion, her quiet rebellion against hardship, the seed of hope she refuses to let die.

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 Piremnath, and I live in the Mullathivu district in Sri Lanka’s North. I have two children, a daughter and a son. My mother also lives with us, so we are the ones looking after her. My husband works at a cattle farm in Jaffna. Even so, the income is not enough. Our life was going on with great difficulty like this. In this situation, we were given livelihood assistance. I express my family’s gratitude to Amalan Loganathan who provided my family with this help.

(At the time we met Piremnath, her family was struggling with deep poverty. With yours and Palmera’s support, she found the strength to save her own money and build a livelihood, helping her family recover and rebuild their lives.)

While our family was in this situation, a savings group was started in our village. The people in it asked me to join the group too. But I said that I didn’t have money to save and that I wasn’t interested. Two weeks later, the group officer told us about the assistance program and its importance. He said, “It’s okay, just come and observe what is said in the meeting,” so I went the very next week. I didn’t pay for two meetings. Then, on the next time, ten of us saved. This gave me hope that one day, in some way, I too would be able to save. Because of this, I felt a happiness in my heart.

(Palmera established the village bank in her 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 went to the meeting every Sunday without fail. One day, a dairy farming class was conducted, saying that just saving is not enough. In it, the importance of setting up a home garden was explained. I listened very attentively to these things that were said, and the very next day I started to fence my perimeter. At that time, a staff member came and told me to plant vegetable seedlings in polybags. I said I didn’t have water. He said I could use the water from washing dishes, and also told me about making compost by taking leaves from near the fence and cow dung from the sides of the house. I did as he said. The vegetable seedlings grew well. I started to reduce buying vegetables for the house, like brinjal, tomato, okra, gotu kola, and bitter gourd, as I had ten varieties. Because of this, I was in a position to reduce my expenses.

In the beginning, our breakfast used to be roti and sambal, but we started to cook the vegetables that we ourselves grew at home. Because of this, the children also took an interest in the food. Everyone paid a lot of attention to the vegetable cultivation. I wanted to do more, but the water problem was a big challenge. I wondered what to do. At that moment, the staff members said they could help set up a water tank, and that they would complete our uncompleted house and toilet, and accordingly, they completed everything.

They did it, they gave it. They provided for the great needs of the house, the toilet facilities, all of it. I was also very happy. Not only that, but food parcels were also provided, taking into consideration the nutritional status of our children. We also further repaired the surrounding fences. A few months later, arrangements were made to set up a water tank, and a beautiful water tank was set up for us that could be used for our house and for agricultural needs. And delivery was also provided.

(Building a new home was not something Piremnath 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.)

Because of this, we expanded the garden with land, twenty cowpea plants, twenty bitter gourd plants, and fifty chilli plants. Because of this, our income started to reach a very high level. It started to earn an income of over 30,000/- a month. Furthermore, to raise our standard of living, we wanted to raise chickens. Assistance was provided for that too. Because of this, after three months, we were in a position to earn an income of 15,000/- from chicken rearing. In addition, we are able to get eggs and meat for our household needs.

(The assets Piremnath 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.)

Now I save only on a weekly basis, and currently, my savings are 54,460/-. This makes me very happy.

The goal my family has decided on is that we should do gardening daily and eat poison-free food, and that we should maintain the chicken rearing in a way that always earns an income just like now, and that both my children should study and get good jobs.

(Through the programme, Piremnath has been able to place her children’s education at the centre of her household planning. When a mother can pay school fees without crisis or borrowing, children stay in school. And with that, the path forward for the next generation begins to open.)

It is sad for us that this project is now leaving us. Even so, I will never worry about my future. Because in the beginning, we were mentally affected from thinking and thinking about our family’s situation. It is not like that now. Our whole family is happy. Our food needs and finances are all good.

On behalf of my family, we pray to God that Amalan Logathan and his family, who were the reason for this boundless happiness of ours, may live even more prosperously, happily, and healthily. We pray to God that he who provided this assistance and his family should receive God’s blessings to live a long life, free from sickness and disease, and happily. And we take great pleasure in expressing my heartfelt thanks to him and his family for providing this assistance.

On behalf of the family,

Thank you.

Piremnath

This is our final letter from Piremnath. 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.