your family update
You Backed them and things began to change
Grace
Donor
“Somedays we have one meal. We don’t eat breakfast or lunch. Those days we eat dinner.”
Vijitha lives in Pragathavoor in the East of Sri Lanka with her husband, three children, and her parents. Her husband does labor work, but it is not every day. Some days he goes out and earns money, other days there is nothing to do.
Vijitha stays home to look after the children. Most days the money they earn is just enough for food and clothes. When it’s difficult to manage, she goes to the shop and asks to take things on credit until they can pay later.
The hardest part is making sure the children have enough to eat. Sometimes they skip breakfast and lunch and eat only at night. When her children were born, it was even harder to find enough food. Her husband struggles to get steady work, but they don’t give up. Her husband leaves early in the morning and comes back in the evening.
Her parents also worked hard when Vijitha was growing up. Her father broke his leg while working with a bullock cart, so her mother sold rice from a small field to support the family. Every day they work to find enough money. Her mother helps when she can, and Vijitha cares for the children and the house.
Even with little money and sometimes debts, they keep working and make sure life continues. She wants her children to go to school, get jobs, and live without worrying about not having enough food. Vijitha wants her children to have more than she did.
She wants them to go to school and get jobs, so they do not have to struggle like she does now. She keeps working, caring, and hoping her children will have more chances than she had.
Please note for many women sharing in written form is not easy. We sit with women to support them to share their story and have added context so you can weave together what you have made possible.
My dear loving Grace, I am Vijitha from Irakkandivalai village and I am writing to tell you that we are all doing well. I hope and pray to God that you are also doing well. There are five of us in my family including my husband, myself, and our three children. My husband works for daily wages. My eldest son is named Sharvin and he is six years old and goes to school. I also have twin sons named Krishwin and Krishmithan who are two years and six months old. (Before) I did not have the habit of saving money.
(At the time we met Vijitha, her family was struggling with deep poverty and loneliness. 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.)
The staff from Palmera came and taught me how important it is to save. They brought 15 women like me together and started a village savings group called the Lakshmi Savings Group. Now I have saved a little at a time and I have 8,600 LKR (Approx $40 AUD) in my 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 women come together each week to talk, to share what is going on and support each other. This is the foundation for change because change happens in community and that is exactly what these structures support).
Besides the money, when we women meet together for an hour, I forget all my worries and I feel very happy. Using my savings money, I bought a cow and named her Lakshmi. Now, she has even given birth to a female calf.
(For food security, Palmera helps women start dairy farming with milk cows. This is becoming more challenging with increasing diseases due to the changing climate. Because of these difficulties, many families struggle to raise animals. Through your support, we are changing that, helping families produce their own healthy food and earn a steady income by selling milk.)
My twin children love to drink the milk from Lakshmi. Before this, they only drank milk powder bought from the shop, but now I can give them fresh milk as soon as it is milked. Right now I am not selling the milk, but because of it, I am able to save 1,300 LKR (Approx $6 AUD) every month that I used to spend on milk powder. I believe that in the future I can increase the number of my cows and earn a good income by selling milk.
Before I joined the Palmera village savings group, I was very shy and afraid to talk to others or go outside. Because of our poverty, no one used to respect me, but now everyone praises me for buying a cow and this makes me feel very glad.
In the future, I plan to raise chickens so I can have eggs for my children and sell the extra ones too. I also hope to get another calf within a year. Because of Palmera, I will also be getting a clean water facility within three weeks. Before, I struggled so much to find clean water, and I am so happy that having this at home will save me time for my cooking and other work. I am so glad that I won’t have to go outside looking for water anymore.
Even though I have never seen your face, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to you and your family. The help you have given is improving the lives of my family. I thank you once more, Grace, and I will finish my letter here.
Thank you,
Yours sincerely,
Vijitha
Our work continues with Vijitha. She has begun the journey to stand on her own, but lasting change takes time. We will walk alongside her for one more year before letting go of her hand. It is this continued accompaniment that makes all the difference. And this is possible because of you. Thank you.
