your family update
You Backed them and things began to change
Christine Muttiah
Donor
When we met Sasiroopini and her daughter, the weight of their struggles was clear in every glance and movement. Their home was little more than a temporary tent, fragile against the rains and sun, yet it was all they had.
Her husband left in 2023, marrying another, and they are now going through a long and painful divorce process. Since then, Sasiroopini has been raising her daughter on her own, relying on her small house and the support of Palmera’s dry food provisions to survive.
The strain shows in her daughter, whose education suffers because malnutrition has made it difficult to concentrate and learn. With suitable land and five years of experience in goat rearing, she dreams of starting a small livelihood that could lift them from daily uncertainty. Every word, every gesture, reflects a mother’s quiet courage — holding onto hope, determined to give her daughter a better future.
We’ve captured their voice so you can hear their story.
I have moved forward after Palmera came. I was in a very difficult situation. They are the ones who made me grow. I hope they will continue to support my children’s education and me. Also, thank you very much for giving me the goat. I thought I would fail in life. But they were the only ones who helped and encouraged me. For that, I am truly grateful to them.
(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).
After joining the Palmera village group, I received a loan of 35,000 LKR (approx. $178 AUD). With that, I cultivated plants like bananas, coconuts and papaya which now provide me with additional income. Now we can eat three meals per day.
The Palmera provided peanuts. I cultivated and earned more income from and used it for household needs. I cultivated it again and again. I am making progress.
(Palmera identified that groundnuts, a profitable sector in her village, had large losses, so we focused on this value chain and plugged many gaps to ensure families could participate in this sector profitably).
Palmera provided me with a goat shed. They provided the training for that; I have now completely set up the goat shed. So I am confident that I will get more income; I will definitely get income, in the past I have been struggling a lot, and now I am confident that I will get income through the goat farm, and I will cover my children’s education expenses, medical expenses, and my expenses from that income.
(Goats are a secondary source of income, but it takes time to convert into a sustainable income source – we will be focused on that in the coming year – to expand her livestock so that it provides a strong supplementary income source).
The Christine Muttiah family, who live in Australia, have provided financial support to this family through Palmera on behalf of their family. They are taking care of their livelihood in the best possible way. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Christine Muttiah family.
I express my heartfelt gratitude to this family on behalf of my family.
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 Sasiroopini. I live in the Varnaivarpuram village. I have one daughter. She is 6 years old. My husband left me and remarried. My family, meaning my child and I, were destitute. We didn’t have a house to sleep in. We were living in a temporary house and struggled greatly for our daily food needs. It was only with my mother’s help that we were able to meet our food needs. We had no income of any kind and were in a state of poverty with no savings.
(At the time we met Sasiroopini, 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.)
Today, I express my heartfelt thanks to Christine and her family for providing help to me and my family.
Before Palmera projects came to our village, my family and I were a very impoverished family. While we were in this situation, the staff of the Palmera in our village sought us out and gave us a helping hand.
I spoke with them openly about my family’s situation and the story of my separation from my husband. They treated me with love and support. Afterwards, they discussed with me what a self-help group is and what its approach is.
After that, I felt the desire to join a village savings group. Then I joined the group in our village. For the first two or three weeks, I didn’t have any savings. I was just observing the activities that were taking place there. Then I felt that I must save somehow. So, I started saving, with an initial savings amount of 10 rupees. Today, my savings from the past year amount to 23,540 rupees.
(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.)
During this time, taking my poverty into consideration and in accordance with my request, they provided a goat-rearing project to increase my income. I started to raise them in an excellent manner. I kept the pens clean and raised the goats well and healthily. The first time, I sold one for 40,000 rupees. I started to feel a big change in my life. For the first time, I was very happy to spend my own money. The entire reason for this is the Palmera and its staff.
(Palmera introduced goat rearing as an additional livelihood. It creates a sustainable source of income, bringing her hope and happiness.)
Through my goat rearing, I have sold 4 bucks for a total of 150,000 rupees, which gives me great pride. In the coming year, my goal is to double this income before the year ends. My aim for the future is to become a farm owner.
(The assets Sasiroopini 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.)
Next, my daughter and I had been struggling for a long time without a safe house. We were affected by natural disasters like rain, floods, and cyclones. It was in this situation that Palmera helped us with a permanent house. I feel proud to be able to sleep peacefully in a permanent house in my life. Truly, it makes me so proud that I am respected by everyone in the village today.
(Building a new home was not something Sasiroopini 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.)
Next, in our village savings group, seeds for chilli, okra, long beans and pumpkin were provided. Using those, I created a small home garden. After taking what was needed for our daily food, I sold the remaining vegetables in the small shops in our neighbourhood and saved that money.
Through the group, some chickens were also provided. I protected and cared for them very well. From the eggs I get from them, I would take what is needed for our food and sell the remaining eggs to the shopkeeper, and I would save that money. Now, it is a happy thing that my child is eating nutritious food.
I, who am the sole source of income in my family, is now able to make all the decisions myself. I am able to take care of all financial matters. Some of my neighbours who saw my progress firsthand approached me and asked for a detailed explanation about the village savings group’s activities and its approach. So I also gave them an explanation and had them join our group too.
(When a woman who once came for support becomes the person her neighbours seek out for guidance, the programme’s purpose has been fulfilled. Sasiroopini is now a resource for her community, extending the reach of what you have made possible.)
On behalf of my family, I express many thanks to Christine and her family for providing this help to our family. I pray to God that you and your family may also live happily and with physical and mental well-being.
Thank you,
Sasiroopini
This is our final letter from Sasiroopini. 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.
