Living upstairs is Beautiful!

My name is AshokaNilmini. I’m living in the 10^th lane, Sooriyawewa, Hambanthota district, Sri Lanka. In the past my life was very hard going with lots of difficulties. My little family, with my husband &the two loving kids is very happy now.

Our lives changed in to a massive success with the involvement of South Asia Partnership Sri Lanka (SAPSRI) . I’m the treasurer of SAPSRI, Laktharu community based organization. It’s been already two years for our organization. My self-employment is small Puah banana cultivation. I start this cultivation in two acres from the first loan that I’ve been grant from SAPSRI. I was refused by several organizations where as SAPSRI was the only organization which helped me with it. All other finance institutions required a guarantor who is a “government servant”. I was truly desperate in that situation.

Many problems in our life are over right now. I earn money in each & every week by selling Banana. SAPSRI gave us not only a loan but also following facilities,

• Micro finance management training
• Entrepreneur development training
• Introduced new business development opportunities
• Family counseling
• Inter relationship with other government & non-government organization
• Exposure to exhibitions, seminars & awareness programs.

Now I feel lot confident, I have family filled with joy and happiness. My kids do well in their education. We have a good recognition in our village, we love our happy living. I have something special to say,

At night we live in a small watch hut built on the branches of a tall tree in our cultivation plot to save ourselves and our crop from rampaging wild elephants. We have a similar hut at the ground level in our banana plot where we reside during the day time These are not big challenges for us. We don’t take elephant as a burden to us, and we love them too.

I’ve fully paid back the first loan that I’ve been granted. Now I wish to cultivate bananas in another two acre plot by receiving a new loan. My next dream is to buy a new hand operated tractor from the sales proceeds of the intended new extent of cultivation.

I have studied only up to grade 08 in school. Yet I have these achievements and the will to further tem. Thanks to SAPSRI which has come forward to help the disadvantaged people like me.