25 Years of Music

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Uncle Raj has been teaching us the traditional art form of drums and flute at the Ghanalayam Music Academy for the last 25 years. We are excited and proud to be able to showcase our learnings at the 25-year celebration of the Ghanalayam music school.

Our music school has a long partnership with Palmera, and this year we will be raising funds to support the village of Theravil/Valliapuram in the northern region of Mullathivu. More specifically the Landing a Better Future project in the village, which will work with 250 farmers to make the most of their land, access essential training and services, and secure a better future for their families. These villages were heavily impacted by the war and experienced direct conflict as recently as 2009. As a result, the communities are heavily disadvantaged and receive minimal government investment. Without a helping hand they will continue to be economically excluded.

Palmera believes in a hand up not a hand out. This means they work together with 250 families across the villages to improve their economic well-being. They spend 5 years in the village implementing and training them in innovative agricultural practices and helping them to connect to markets so that they can build a livelihood for themselves.

We are humbled to be part of the 25 year Ghanalayam journey and hope that you will share in our achievements and attend our show.

From the senior students of Ghanalayam Music School.

Race 2 Raise – Maya Youth in Performing Arts

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Palmera Projects used to host an awesome yearly event in the past called ‘Human Race’. It was an Amazing Race style event where teams solved clues and challenges while racing around Sydney.

We at Maya used this as our inspiration to come up with our own event ‘Race to Raise’. We teamed up with UTS Tamil Society to host the event.

MAYA have made a long term commitment to Palmera. We are working with the Thervipuram village to help families re-establish themselves after the civil war. We believe in the philosophy “giving a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime”. So this is why we will be partnering with Palmera to achieve just that.

For the ‘Race to Raise’, teams of 4 are going to race around Sydney CBD collecting clues, solving puzzles and completing challenges to help rewrite the stories of one village.

This is the first year we have organised a ‘Race to Raise’. We are nervous and excited about how the day is going to go and we are working very hard to make sure it’s a success.

DETAILS

Date – Sunday, 5 February

Time – 9:30-4pm

Venue – Sydney CBD

Race to Raise will be the first event of many for 2017 to kick off our three year journey with Palmera. Maya has pledged $35k to Palmera’s Thevipuram project for 2017. We have partnered with Palmera because we believe they bring the transparency of a large organisation and the heart and community focus on a grassroots agency.

Dream of the Drape

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

For years a small group of us ( starting with 10 and now down to 5 ) calling ourselves TEWO have been organising ‘events’ on a modest scale for the care of two homes in Northern Sri Lanka. With the end of the War, we were left literally rudderless for a cause – till we discovered Palmera Projects! So all systems go – support the work of this amazing group.

We wanted to be part of the Palmera Adventure and what a better way to achieve this then with an Indian Affair – A Saree Sale!

So we put to use Aunty Nesa’s expertise in textiles and sarees as a once owner of a Saree shop. We will have all types of Sarees, from $60 – $260 on sale, as well as Jewelry and other traditional wares!

Venue:

St. Leonard’s Church Hall, 349, Springvale Road, Glen Waverley

Time:

11am – 4.30 pm

Date:

Sunday, 22nd March 2015

KiKi Night

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

KiKi are hosting a great night in support of Palmera on Thursday 14th May 2015, from 5:30pm – 8:30pm at our Westfield, George Street Sydney stores!

For these magical three hours 20% of all proceeds will be going towards Palmera’s programs to help those in need! KiKi ( www.kikki-k.com) began with a young dreamer who lived on a farm in Sweden and now the stationary is a world wide brand!

With snacks and stationary we cant wait to see you there!

International Women’s Day 2017 – Dine it Forward

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

THIS YEAR, IN CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WE INVITE YOU TO DINE IT FORWARD.

DINE with us to explore authentic flavours of Sri Lankan/Indian cuisine at Indu Dining, and PAY IT FORWARD by exploring the amazing strength of women war survivors and entrepreneurs as Palmera shares its work.

INDU is nestled under the IVY on Pitt Street and they showcase many of Palmera’s recipes on their menu from the Handmade cookbook and have been one of our greatest supporters.

For many women, food and providing for their families is their life and a language they are at ease with. So what better way to tell their story than through food.

A unique event not to be missed, join us and #BeBoldForChange

Where: Indu Dining, 350 George St, Sydney NSW 2000

When: Wednesday 8th March, 11:45am – 2:00pm

Ticket Cost: $100 for a fantastic meal and with all proceeds going to Palmera

Check out the “Updates” tab to see how it went!

Dance Production

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

The ladies at TEWO based in Melbourne are back! TEWO is made up of a group of compassionate women who are determined to make a difference in today’s world. This time, they are organising a Dance Production to support the livelihood projects at Palmera.

The Dance Production called “Krishna – The Blue Lord”, calling upon the Dance Schools of Melbourne. The actual ‘work’ will be selling the tickets so please do join us for what will be an amazing night!

Date:

16th August 2014, 6pm

Location:

Renaissance Theatre, Kew High School, 826 High Street, Kew East

See you all there!

Theatre Night

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

This year our theatre group is so excited to be supporting Palmera! Our show, the Rolling Cowley will be show cased to over 1,500 patrons and all proceeds from ticket sales will go towards Palmera’s great work! Because our main inspiration is to help make a direct contribution to the livelihoods of the local dairy farmers and their community, and also connect with our cultural heritage.

MAYA mentors young artistic talent to create life on stage through drama, dance and music.

Join us on the night – we cant wait to see you there!

Check out the trailer 

Check out the team that will be performing on the night here

City2Surf 2015

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

After the enormous success of our inaugural Team Palmera Projects in the 2014 City2Surf, we’re back again and ready to run!

Our first team of 11 runners raised over $1100 last year to fund a sanitation project to build much needed toilet facilities for a number of families.

This year we’d love to grow our team and invite all friends of Palmera join our team and run for a cause. Every dollar raised will help us break the dependency of aid and empower families in Sri Lanka to take control of their own livelihoods.

On the 9th of August, you can put the FUN in fundraising by joining Australia’s largest community marathon, make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate and achieve a new fitness goal!

Just like every charity team, you will receive a Palmera T-shirt to wear on the run this year and will see our entire team waiting to cheer you on as you cross the finish line. You may even run into (literally) some of Australia’s most prominent sports people, politicians or celebrities along the way!

Join our team at the Palmera City2Surf 2015 Go Fundraise Page

Sharmila and Amalan’s Wedding

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Amalan and I are getting married in December at Le Montage and we are so excited for our big day!

We have been thinking about what to do as gifts for our guests that would meaningful yet practical. After giving it a lot of thought we decided that instead of favours we would instead donate the money to Palmera in the name each of our guests. We have been long term supporters of Palmera and know the work they do really makes a difference to people’s livelihoods.  We think our guests will love the idea and think it’s an amazing way to kick off our married life together.

MAYA’s Race 2 Raise 2018

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

IMAGINE…

You are a woman in rural Sri Lanka. Having endured civil war, you are now responsible for providing for your family, often unsupported. You and your children face the all too real risk of poverty, violence and isolation.

Many of these women are trapped in a cruel cycle. In order to make impossible ends meet, they are often forced to endure physical and sexual abuse or fall victim to human trafficking.

And on top of it all, they face this alone.

BUT THERE’S AN OPPORTUNITY…

An opportunity to rewrite their story.

A chance to give their children a new future.

A door opened by you.

Palmera Projects are an incredible not-for-profit organisation that has stepped into the lives of these women in need, establishing projects that build sustainable livelihoods.

Palmera connects vulnerable women to technologies and infrastructure to produce an independent income. With financial stability, these women can build a safe home and environment for themselves and their families. Projects are structured to ensure that after 5 years of Palmera’s aid, these women, their families and their community are able to stand on their own feet- never requiring our assistance again.

The benefits of enabling financial independence extend beyond the obvious and including reducing domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking and improving mental health outcomes.

The Race to Raise 2018 will be more specifically supporting the Women’s Village Bank in Colony. We decided on this project as building a savings habit and creating a safe way to save and a platform for loans enables women to build wealth and improve their resilience to shocks which would otherwise risk their family from falling back into poverty. It enables women to stand on their own two feet, make their own decisions and be in control of their financial circumstances.

AND THIS IS WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP

On Sunday the 4th of February 2018, our team at MAYA Youth in Performing Arts are partnering with Palmera Projects to hold MAYA’s Annual Raise to Race. Teams of 4 will race through the streets of Sydney’s CBD collecting clues, solving puzzles and completing challenges. Last year it was a blast, and this year it’s going to be even bigger and better.

We need you to join us and become an advocate for Palmera and help raise money for Women’s Village Bank. Raise upwards of $400 as a team (i.e. $100 per person) to be a participant in this race OR donate to support one of the incredible teams helping these women rewrite their stories! Click here to get involved today!

Kirsty and Jonathan’s Wedding

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

We are so excited about our upcoming wedding festivities. We have chosed Palmera as our registry option because we believe that economically empowering the people of this nation restores dignity and hope to people who have survived war and displacement.

The money you donate will be used for the Easy as Peanuts project.

Sri Lanka is a place with deep significance for us: it has enriched our lives with its unique culture and beautiful peoples. This nation has been ravaged by decades of war, and now, the peoples of Sri Lanka face severe challenges in the form of a disregard for human rights and a growing rule of law crisis.

We would love the next ritual our family celebrates to be spent in a safe, prosperous, and united Sri Lanka. Investing in the future of this nation is the best and most thoughtful present you could give us.

We want to thank all our guests for helping us along this journey and helping us help empower people.

So much love and appreciation,

Jonno and Kirst x

Rylan and Maliah’s Birthday

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

This year for our birthdays Maliah and I would love to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

We are lucky to have all our needs and wants met, but there are lots of people all around the world who are not so lucky.

When I turned 6, with the help of everyone who celebrated my birthday we raised money for Oxfam, and it was really nice to see how we helped a community.

This year we would like to help people in Sri Lanka, and help kids just like us. We have chosen to give to the Creating Leaders Project through Palmera.

Thank you for your generosity, and celebrating our birthday with us.

Love

Rylan and Maliah

About the Project:

In Sri Lanka most rural children attend school, but many will remain unemployed after. This is because traditional schooling may create pathways for university but with admissions only available for 2% the school year population, it means most will miss out.

For these kids, most of whom live in rural communities, there are little skills invested during their school years to make them successful for their future.

Palmera runs an important 2 year programme with children and youth that builds leadership, collaboration and entrepreneurship skills to ensure that all children can have a bright future beyond schooling.

Your donation will make this programme possible.

For more information click here.