your family update

When we met Sukappiriya, she was standing quietly outside her fragile, unfinished home, her eyes carrying a weight no one should have to bear. The walls offered little protection, no proper doors, no toilet, just a shelter barely keeping her family safe from the world outside.

Her husband had once worked as a carpenter, but a fall in 2015 left him unable to do heavy work. Now, he works only when he can, earning just enough to keep a few meals on the table. Most days, it’s her children’s school lunches that fill their empty stomachs.

As she spoke, her hands trembled slightly—not from weakness, but from the constant worry that she carries silently every day. Yet, in her eyes, there was a spark of hope. She showed us her tiny garden and shared her dream of having just a few tools—a motor, a pipe, a sprayer—so she could grow more, provide more, and slowly rebuild her home and life.

That day, we didn’t just meet a mother struggling to survive; we met courage, resilience, and a love so deep that it refuses to give up, no matter how heavy life becomes.

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 Sukapriya. There are 5 members in my family. My husband and I have three children: two daughters and one son. While we were living like this, my husband was a daily wage labourer. It was only with the income he brought that we were able to meet our food needs. My third child, a daughter, is a child who is very ill. We were in a situation where we couldn’t take her to the hospital clinic every month to get medicine.

(At the time we met Sukappriya, 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.)

It was while we were in this situation that help was provided to me and my family. Furthermore, on behalf of my family, I express my heartfelt thanks to Selva who provided this assistance.

I feel proud to tell you, the one who helped us, that my family has made some progress socially and economically today. A few years ago, a program called the Palmera Village Savings Group came to our village. Before that I didn’t talk much with anyone. I lived this way because I was afraid they would laugh at my situation.

When I was living like this, the Palmera’s staff came to my house, and I explained to them my family details, our debts, and my husband’s inability to work. They spoke to me with love and support. It was very comforting to me. They told me, “Join the group. You don’t have enough income. You can do it. Come to the meetings every day.” After that, I went to five or six meetings. Seeing the other members of our group saving every week, I also started saving 50 or 100, as much as I could. Currently, I have 46,500/- as savings.

(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.)

Next, I received the groundnuts provided by Palmera and cultivated them on 1/4 acre for the first time using the new technical methods taught by the organisation’s staff. I earned an income of 90,000/- by selling the groundnuts. It is a very big thing that for the first time in my life, I earned such a large amount of money myself.

(Palmera focuses on peanuts because it is a profitable sector that many in the region were not able to profitably engage in. What was needed was to address many last mile agricultural barriers including new practices, technologies, access to quality seeds and collective purchasing of inputs and selling, all activities that we supported Sukappriya with.)

Next, under the theme “We will eat non-toxic vegetables” promoted by our village savings group, I have been cultivating a non-toxic home garden and fulfilling our daily food needs. After taking what we need for our food, I sell the excess vegetables to a small shop nearby and buy other things. I never thought that my poverty would be eliminated and that I would be this happy.

Next, I started poultry farming, and it is worth mentioning that my children are now eating nutritious food like eggs. In addition, I have taken up goat rearing, and by selling two male goats for 90,000/-, we have repaired our house and are living happily.

(Palmera introduced goat rearing as an additional livelihood. It creates a sustainable source of income, bringing her hope and happiness.)

(When Sukappriya first came to the programme, basic improvements to how her family lived were out of reach. Through the financial stability she has built, she has been able to invest in the conditions of daily life; safe shelter, clean water, sanitation. These are not things Palmera provided directly. They are what becomes possible when a family has stable income and the confidence to invest in their own future.)

It is noteworthy that the society that once ostracised us in the past, now that we are happy, has changed to become a community that asks about our every need.

Although it is a great sadness that the program we have now is leaving us, I never worry about my children’s future. This is because I am firm in my belief that I will manage all my family’s activities with my own income, and I tell you this with happiness.

(The assets Sukappriya 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.)

We, my family and I, pray to God that you, who were the primary reason for this happiness, and your family may live even more prosperously, happily, and healthily. We pray to God that you who provided this help, and your family, may live with long life and without any sickness or disease.

Also, we take great pleasure in expressing our immense gratitude on behalf of our family.

Thank you.

Sukappriya

This is our final letter from Sukappriya. 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.