Little JT turns 1

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

What a year! My Husband, LP and I have been overwhelmed by the love, support and generosity of our friends and family following the arrival of our son, JT.

As the first grandchild, great grandchild and nephew in our family, our little man has wanted for nothing! It’s hard to believe but in his first year the only things we’ve actually bought him ourselves have been nappies, vests, a few novelty t-shirts and a set of overalls. In the lead up to his birth and the year that’s followed JT has been the lucky recipient of lots and lots of gorgeous toys, books and clothes. We are truly grateful for this and appreciate the warm wishes and affections with which they were gifted.

Unfortunately, not all kids are in this privileged position. However, with this small gesture we’d like to invite our friends and family to do something about this. In lieu of a birthday gift (and to help us out with storage issues!), we’d love it if you could make a donation here, which will go towards Palmera’s Toy Production project.

There are so many great causes and projects out there to support and we really do try to be informed in our giving. We’ve chosen this project for many reasons. Palmera does fantastic work. Their projects reach some of the most disadvantaged communities and ignite real and sustainable change. We’ve been supporters of their work for a long time and can vouch for their integrity and impact. LP and I also met not far from the village this project is supporting and in this small way we’re able to remember and honor the communities that hosted us so generously, despite the hardships they faced.

..and if you still aren’t convinced…JT will have plenty of other birthdays for you to win his affections with gifts, but right now he really is just more interested in the boxes and wrapping!

Keeran’s turning 6!

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

Keeran is turning 6!!

This January 13th our first-born Keeran is turning 6! Time has flown by and he’ll be starting school next year. Over the years Amma (long time volunteer and now part time employee of Palmera) has explained to him what we do in Palmera to help people less fortunate than us. And people  we could have easily been if we weren’t lucky enough to migrate to Australia.

So Keeran decided that this year he doesn’t want any presents, especially with his birthday being so close Christmas. After seeing how hard Amma works for Palmera he instead this year wants to donate money to one of our projects. He chose the farming for life project as it had a picture of a man in the display, lol.

The Farming For Life project will work with 30 farmers and their families to teach them new practices and technologies so they can increase their yields by up to 50-60% and eventually be able stand on their own two feet. Palmera’s approach is about providing a hand up not a hand out.

So instead of a present this year we ask that you please make a small donation to Palmera using this page. We thank you for your generosity and are looking forward to celebrating the day with you.

Thevarajah family

Luckya and Vibee’s Wedding

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

When Vibee’s father told us that he wanted to give us a gift to celebrate our recent wedding, we were very touched.

We were already so lucky to be surrounded by family and friends on the day, and fortunate to live in a safe and prosperous country. We have all we need. So when the three of us sat down to talk about how we might mark the occasion, we immediately thought of Palmera.

We’ve had links with Palmera since its early days, and love that it makes such a meaningful difference to the lives of people in Sri Lanka, a country that means so much to us. The challenges people there face on a daily basis are nothing short of heartbreaking.

By supporting Palmera and creating opportunities for people who need a hand up, we know that we are making someone’s life a bit better. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our love than by sharing it far and wide. We hope that you might consider doing the same.

We’ve decided to put our donation towards the Connecting to Markets project.

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

With love,

Luckya and Vibee

Ganasri & Neil’s Village Experience

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

We are taking on a journey to Sri Lanka with Palmera. Palmera is a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on empowering women and men in Sri Lanka who are living in post-war communities to build a livelihood for themselves in order to support their families. These women and men have faced more than you and I can come close to imagining– many have lost their loved ones to a brutal civil war and many have lived in fear for more than half their life.

For me (Neil) this trip will be a path of discovery through going into the unknown and experiencing life within a post war society. I look forward to witnessing and being part of the work Palmera will be doing to rebuild these communities.

For me (Gana) this will be about self-discovery as I will be seeking to understand the contrasting views of the beauty of Sri Lankan culture, land and people against the terrible recounts of war, crime and poverty of my heritage.

This journey gives us both a chance to give back to Sri Lankan communities that have suffered from the 30 year long civil war in a meaningful way.

We will be raising funds for the Livelihood Kickstarter project. This project will directly impact 36 small farmers and benefit over 120 people. The project aims to 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.

IWD 2019 – Tamil Feasts Dinner

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

Hello & Welcome!

Happy International Women’s Day 2018!

This International Women’s Day on Thursday March 8th, we wanted to bring together Palmera Projects and Tamil Feasts – two organisations that continue to do great service for various communities with a key focus on financial sustainability, a cause close to our hearts.

We hope this special event will be a great meeting point for individuals with a keen interest in making a difference in the community and sharing an amazing Tamil meal or even just sparking up conversation that we hope will lead to actions in 2018.

Funds from the event will go to the Palmera’s Womens Village Bank, we think this is such an amazing project and are very excited to support it.

To buy tickets to the event, please click here

ABOUT TAMIL FEASTS

விருந்து Tamil Feasts is a social enterprise supporting recently settled asylum seekers through the celebration of food and culture. Serving up traditional Sri Lankan fare prepared by Tamil men currently seeking asylum in Australia, this unique enterprise simultaneously creates a space in which Australians are able to show their support of individuals who are presently seeking asylum all while partaking in some seriously tasty food!

Learn more at http://tamilfeasts.ceres.org.au

Nisali’s 22nd Birthday

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

Growing up, I was lucky to have been provided with everything I wanted and needed. However, this is not the case for a lot of others around the world. So this year, for my birthday, I’m choosing to support Palmera’s Water for Life project to help people in rural parts of Sri Lanka to have clean drinking water and increased farming production so that they can stand on their own two feet for generations to come!

Why Palmera?

They, like me, are for a world where no one is left out. They do that by working with small scale farmers and rural entrepreneurs to increase income, increase savings and improve access to health, nutrition, food, water and among other things, education.

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 22nd birthday even more special than it already will be with you celebrating with me.

City2Surf 2017

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

Did you know the majority of farmers in this world are women? They are the backbone of most developing economies where subsistence agriculture is one of the only ways to make a living. Dedicating more resources to empowering, training and investing in women farmers could bring down the number of people living in extreme poverty by up to 150 million people.

That’s why we’re running for a cause in the 2017 City2Surf. All the money we raise will go directly to investing in the livelihoods of women and communities so they have the resources, skills and voice to transform their lives. Please contact Jeeven if you would like to join the team.

DETAILS

Date: Sunday 13 August 2017

Start: Hyde Park

End: Bondi Beach

Dress code: Wear your favourite activewear and Palmera running t-shirt!

Support us today!

We are looking forward to the run and have already begun are training, we are hoping to beat our previous years records. Check out how we did for the last three years!

City to Surf 2014

City to Surf 2015

City to Surf 2016

Saru’s Village Experience

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

Hi everyone,

I’m Saru and I’m going to be partaking in a Village Experience trip in January 2018 to see and experience first-hand some of the amazing projects Palmera has set up in various communities in Sri Lanka.

Over the last few years the importance of understanding my roots and giving back to my homeland especially after the civil war has become of utmost importance to me, and the Village Experience is a fantastic way that will let me do that.

I will be raising funds for the Livelihood Kickstarter project. This project will directly impact 36 small farmers and benefit over 120 people. The project aims to 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. This project is part of Palmera’s Village2Markets program whereby Palmera works with the whole village to increase income, savings and wealth of local producers and entrepreneurs.

Please help me help Palmera create a world here no one is left out. Every bit counts towards creating a change, and it would mean a lot to have your support.

Thank you

Saru

Khyilan’s 1st Birthday

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

Our Khyilan, affectionately known ‘Thamby’ by most, is turning one and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than supporting the work of Palmera. Our boys have been born into a life of privilege, one that is safer, healthier, wealthier, and with far more opportunities than those of their counterparts in North-East Sri Lanka. With this small gesture, we hope to be able to contribute to changing that for future generations.

(We also hope to avoid further clutter and toys in our home! Thamby wants for nothing and really enjoys nothing more than emptying our kitchen cupboards and chasing his brother around).

We’ve set a high target for Thamby’s 1st birthday, but his Annah/big brother raised this much so we hope he’ll be able to do the same !

Funds raised will go to the Savings For Life project.

xx

Loga Prasanna and Tammy

Chunky Chellamma, Adavaitha’s 1st Birthday

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

Hello everyone!

It’s been a wonderful year for us watching our little one grow into her own little person. We would love to celebrate her 1st Birthday with our nearest and dearest family and friends.

Advaitha is privileged to have been born into circumstances where all her needs and wants are met. Throughout the year we have been showered with so many toys, books and clothes for our little chunky chellamma, and most importantly so much love from all of you. We feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the support we have received.

Unfortunately, not all babies and kids are this lucky. We would like to invite all of you to join us in doing something about this. Instead of a birthday gift, we humbly request that you make a donation instead to Palmera’s Creating Leaders Project based in the North of Sri Lanka, recovering from the war.

The Creating Leaders Project

Having grown up in Sri Lanka, the education system is very much based on rote learning with the aim of getting kids to university. Only 2% do.

In the meantime, with the war, displacement, high unemployment, the growth in drug use, has not equipped students to transition from early childhood to youth, contributing to society.

The goal of this project is to train facilitators in the local village to create a youth group from years 8-14. The children and the youth will have an opportunity to learn about the environment, nutrition, human rights and leadership and discuss topics they feel are important.These opportunities are a natural part of life in Australia. This valuable project plants a similar seed in a village in Sri Lanka.Palmera’s Projects are all about resourcing up the local community with entrepreneurs to create livelihoods.

“Teach a person to grow food, and you feed them for life”A couple points about Palmera:

• Palmera is ridgy didge.
• They are one of only 50 charity recognized by the Australian government for governance and transparency.
• When you donate throughout the site, your gift is tax deductible.
• 90% of the funds donated go directly to the project

We think it’s awesome.We value your presence most.Any amount you can contribute to this great cause will be deeply valued as well.

Thank youAdvaitha, Shanta and Bob

Kiran’s 4th Birthday

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

This year, our little superhero Kiran is turning 4… And like all superheroes, he wants to help those in need.

So if you wish to give him a hand with his mission, rather than a present, we ask for you to make a contribution to Palmera — our charity of choice.

Kiran’s birthday will be supporting the Graduating the Poor program. This program will work with women and men who live in absolute poverty in Northern Sri Lanka. The project is designed to address their immediate needs while also investing in their longer-term training, development and planning.

We look forward to seeing you and celebrating Kiran’s birthday together!

Visakan’s Village Diary

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

Hi everyone!

My name is Visakan and I am very excited to be working on a brilliant initiative by Palmera projects called Livelihood Kickstarter in Thervipuram, Puthukudiyiruppu. I have always believed in and admired the resilience and determination of war-affected people in the North and East of Sri Lanka, as well as their ability to empower themselves through community-wide development projects.

While I will cover the entire costs of my trip, I would like to give people who are as passionate as I am about this cause the chance to donate directly to this project. The money you donate on this page will go directly to the war-affected people on the ground in Thervipuram in the form of new farming technologies, skills training and financial assistance.

The reason that I am so passionate about this particular project, is that it is a sustainable initiative which prioritises building the capacity of the individuals we will be working with. This means that after the project concludes, the farmers of Thervipuram will be able to advance their own aspirations without needing outside intervention. They will also be able to share the knowledge and experience they have gained through this project with other farmers in their community and the wider Puthukudiyiruppu region.

The project also has a natural, positive impact upon the wider community in Thervipuram since increased productivity for the farmers will allow them to better provide for their families and children. You can read more about the project here.

Finally I would like to say that, as you may know, Puthukudiyiruppu is one of the most war-affected places in Vanni and so the money you donate here will go further than you can imagine in Thervipuram. I hope that you are able to donate and thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all your generosity. I will keep you updated on my experiences with the project after the trip and how your money has positively benefited the people of Thervipuram!