Annika is Turning ONE

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

Our Beautiful baby is turning ONE!!

Annika is so blessed to have been born into a world where all her wants and needs have been met.

We would love to teach her about the gift of giving and what a positive impact it can have on someone elses life.

So in order to mark her special milestone we will be making a donation to Palmera, an organisation that we as a family have been very passionate about. Palmera’s Livelihood programs have had a huge impact on many villages in Sri Lanka. We would like to contribute so they can continue this great initiative.

For Annika’s birthday we have chosen the Connecting to Markets project. This project will help build thriving business farms in the village of Kanthansamy Nagar. In this village building a thriving farm costs as little as $349 per farmer; which is only $78 a year over the 5-year programme. Each of the 105 farmer will learn how to compete and be successful within the farming marketplace and the skills they learn will help them break down barriers that keep them excluded.

We thank you for your donation to Annika’s birthday and we thank you for sharing in this journey with us.

Love Annika, Himyni , Ananthan & Logika

DB40

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

I’m turning 40 this July!

I was born in Sri Lanka and was fortunate enough to migrate to Australia as a refugee just after my 6th birthday. I am truly grateful for the many opportunities I’ve had: from education, to sport, career and family… I now have this opportunity to help a few. They haven’t been as fortunate as I have been and maybe just need this opportunity.

I have been drawn to Palmera because of their village model. The money gets to the people who need it. The people who need it are supported to make the best possible use of that money. A real and lasting difference is made.

The project I have chosen for the funds to be donated to is the Livelihood Kickstarter project. Traditional farms in Sri Lanka need to become more efficient, which means they need to adopt new techniques and practices. This project does just that. It teaches 36 farmers and their families new techniques to make peanut farming more efficient.

Thank you for your donation!

Beats for a Cause

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

This year the Eastern Empire team will be presenting THA – Origins of Rhythm in aid of Palmera and their amazing work!

Eastern Empire  is a group of classically trained and self taught musicians, from various musical backgrounds with a common aspiration – to foster the musical talent in Sydney. The group was conceived four years ago by Thirukumar Thiagarajah, Ashwin Nair, Ratheepan Rajkumar and Janakan Suthanthiraraj and now have a full ensemble of musicians comprising of vocal, melodic and rhythmic sections.

The group has performed to sell our audiences in Sydney over the past few years, performing Indian cinema and Western cover songs.

Check out one of our many trailers here .

Date:

2 Shows – Sunday 2nd November, 3pm and 7pm

Sashika’s 21st Birthday

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

Thank you so much for celebrating my 21st with me. It means so much to me, and well it’s just such a great excuse to hang out with all you gorgeous kids once more.

Since all of you already shower me with love plenty, all I ask is that you do not shower me with gifts but instead you donate to this wonderful charity – Palmera Projects. It will be the best birthday present ever. Check out what Palmera is all about. You’ll find that they’re doing amazing work in my homeland, the land of much tea!

Funds raised from this event will go towards the Theravil Village Farm Project. This village was hurt by the war so in 2014 Palmera began the journey with them to rebuild their livelihoods by turning an unused farm into a successful poultry business. And now they’re working on making it even better to build livelihoods for more people of the village!

Thank you for being so amazing and continuing to be a part of my life. Please give what you can to support this great cause and make my 21st even more special than it already will be with you celebrating with me.

A Musical Cause

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

My name is Raj and I am the founder of the Ghanalayam Music Academy for Classical Indian Music. At the school, we teach the drums and the flute and over the last 20 years of operation have had hundreds of children learning this ancient art form.

A few months ago I was visiting Sri lanka and had the privilege of visiting Palmera’s projects and saw the need on the ground.

I saw Palmera’s project’s first hand and saw the difference they were having. We had always supported, but when I came back, I wanted to do more. This year we are hosting an annual musical show for Ghanalayam show, with over 30 of the students partaking. We will raise all the funds for Palmera’s Dairy Farming Project.

At Ghanalayam we really loved the idea of the diary project – a way for people to earn an income and also provide nutritious food to their families.

I am from Sri Lanka, we left over 30 years now when the war broke out. I am so glad and grateful that through this year’s musical performance we can give back in this way.

Oh Baby!

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

I’ve always been passionate about giving back and what better way to do this than with the birth of our first child! We are so blessed so my husband and I want to start our new child’s life with the values that we have always been brought up with.

Palmera is a one of a kind organisation, empowering some of the most vulnerable people in Sri Lanka. I’ve been very connected to Sri Lanka which is why this cause means so much to me, in fact, the year I was born in London, they had a house built in Point Pedro, north of Jaffna, named “Shameelaham”, with the dream of moving back home one day. However, that never happened.

This is why I’ve been a supporter of Palmera for a number of years including being a volunteer on various projects.

Krishnarpanam – Dancing for a Cause

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

Senior students of the Nrithakshetra School of Indian Classical Dance present:

KRISHNARPANAM

A colourful and vibrant Bharatanatyam repertoire featuring innovative and progressive dance choreography based on tales of Lord Krishna.

Bharthanatyam for us at Nrithakshetra isn’t just a weekend hobby. It is a pursuit that allows us to enjoy a true sense of community and family. Along with creating great friendships we express gratitude, discipline, and have a greater understanding of team work. We are extremely fortunate to be able to connect to our culture, heritage and roots through this beautiful art form.

Keeping the essence of Nrithakshetra in mind, Krishnarpanam was initiated with the incentive of giving back to Sri Lankan communities through the Milking it to Save Lives project. Here, we wish to share our gratitude and love towards Bharathanatyam by using this Art to create a positive social impact. With Krishna’s love for butter and curd, we thought this would serve as a fitting theme!

Please support Palmera’s amazing efforts for empowerment through their inspiring sustainability projects by joining us:

Date: Sunday 4th March

Time: 2:30pm

Where: George Wood Performing Arts Center, Ringwood, VIC

For further details or tickets reservations, please contact Trishula on 0413 768 175, alternatively, feel free to make a donation of your capacity

A Piece of Peace

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

We are running an event on the afternoon of Saturday June 3rd with a group of Sri Lankan women to inspire each other to connect together and share their experiences with food, understanding and good will. We wanted to share a few projects to kick-start the inspiration and what better project to focus on that than with the Handmade book by Palmera.

This book is more than a cook book or a coffee table book. It tells the stories of the women of the North of Sri Lanka, their resilience and determination to move forward despite their past struggles – its great that the proceeds of the book is being given to the women to enable them to be self-sufficient through their micro-business schemes.

On a personal level, I‘m attracted and attached to this book as akin to an ‘heirloom’, it memorialises wonderfully the ‘home’ recipes of our heritage and reminds me of the delights made by my grandmother in days gone by – it is a book to share with the next generation too!”

So please come and join us for an afternoon of inspiration!

Date: 3 June 2017

Time: 12-4pm

Venue: St Ethelburga’s Centre

78 Bishopsgate

London EC2N 4AG

Tickets: £3 includes food

Book at https://www.stethelburgas.org/event/a-piece-of-peace

East meets West 2018

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

The Indian Dance School is all about building a dance community and developing dance confidence and skills. Every year we organize a concert to showcase our dancers and what they’ve learnt over the year. This year is such an exciting year for us as its our 15thannual concert so we’re going all out!

As a strong woman in business I love that Palmera support vulnerable women in the community and help them be independent. I also love that Palmera is run by strong women that have similar community goals to mine.

This year we chose the Connecting to Markets project. This project will help build thriving business farms in the village of Kanthansamy Nagar. In this village building a thriving farm costs as little as $349 per farmer; which is only $78 a year over the 5-year programme. Each of the 105 farmer will learn how to compete and be successful within the farming marketplace and the skills they learn will help them break down barriers that keep them excluded.

Grab your tickets now to help us help Palmera create a world where no one is left out.

Date: 7 October 2018

Time: 6-10pm

Venue: NIDA, 215 Anzac Parade, Kensington, New South Wales 2033

Tickets: Click here for tickets

Fatboy can’t swim

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

In memory of Soruban Rajakulendran: Dad to three young women.

In support of the Women’s Banking Network project.

On September 29th, I’ll be doing my first Triathlon in Singapore. As of June, I could only swim 20 metres. This Triathlon will require a 1,500m open water swim, 40km bike and 10km run, all in the blazing hot Singapore sun.

The Raise:

I’m looking to raise $10,000 for the Women’s Banking Network project supporting 110 women over 5 years (who in turn support over 500 people). Teaching women financial literacy skills and giving them access to low interest emergency funds gives them a voice in the household and sets them on a path to independence and continual growth, breaking the cycle of aid. Helping women with finance initiatives is one of the most effective ways to lift families out of poverty.

The Ask:

Give what you can. Bet with me, against me, or laugh at me. It’s all for a good cause.

I’m aiming for less than 4hrs with a stretch goal of less than 3hrs 30mins.

Sorbs sadly passed in July. But anyone who knew him, knew he was the #1 supporter of anything people put themselves into – business, investments, fitness, or charity. “Good work, keep it up” was his motto.

About Palmera:

Palmera is one of only about accredited members of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), and your donations are tax deductible in Australia. 90% of funds reach the field, and Palmera specifically focusses on development projects like this one, over simply aid, to break the cycle of poverty.

Gajan’s Village Experience

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

I am embarking on a journey with Palmera to witness the challenges faced in the northern villages of Sri Lanka and to create positive social impact in that region. I have always been a big supporter of Palmera- whether it was through the inaugural Human Race, the People’s Poker or Dine It Forward events. The suffering that these villages have experienced over the past few decades is something close to my heart and it reminds me how fortunate I am to have been brought up in a much more financially inclusive environment.

Palmera helps to provide the tools that people need to improve their livelihoods and increase economic sustainable development that benefit whole communities. There is a need for people to be on the ground to help with community capacity building and this upcoming village experience gives me the opportunity to be part of this journey.

I will be raising funds for the Livelihood Kickstarter project. This project will directly impact 36 small farmers and benefit over 120 people. We will introduce new technologies and practices that will increase yield and prevent losses during flooding. Through this the income of these farmers will increase and help them better meet their needs and goals.

City2Surf 2014

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

Was improving your fitness a new year’s resolution? Have you ever thought about running a marathon? Are you passionate about sustainable development and ending poverty?

Well this is your chance to run for a cause!

Jeeven and friends got together for the first time to form the Palmera City2Surf team. Join them to raise funds for transformative projects to improve the livelihoods and wellbeing of communities in rural Sri Lanka.

The 14km run is held annually on the second Sunday in August beginning at Hyde Park in the CBD and finishing at Bondi Beach. Aside from a handful of athletes, over 80,000 ordinary Australians will take part too – many running for the very first time. Along the track you’ll hear music, see performers, be offered drinks to keep you hydrated and enjoy the beautiful views of Sydney’s harbour.

Join our team at: Palmera CitytoSurf 2014 Go Fundraise Page