By June Adcox | CERI Mission Trip Volunteer & Photographer
In spite of successful economic development in concentrated regions of Sri Lanka, poverty continues to run rampant amidst the war-torn island that all too often suffers the added affects of natural disasters. CERI's solution to this plight -- self-employment through micro-finance -- has proved most successful at equipping families to escape the perils of poverty. To date, approximately 110 women have benefited from CERI’s micro-finance program.
Mrs. Komathy, 47, lives in th eastern province of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.. Her husband, Thavarasa, is an unskilled, low-paid laborer who earns a small income that doesn't provide for the family’s basic needs. Mr. & Mrs. Komathy have four unmarried children. Mrs. K. also looks after her brother’s daughter, 8 year old girl Tharshikka, and has been struggling to run the family.
However, everything changed after she joined CERI’S Micro-finance development program.
Mrs. Komathy is a clever business woman; she now owns a small space of land where she grows food for her family, which includes banana, coconut & mango trees as well as pomegranates and vegetables. The surplus of the crops are sold at a local market. With part of their income, she runs a grocery shop beside her house. Mrs. K. recently decided to add a new product of tamarind jam packets, which costs little money to produce and has been very popular with the customers at her shop.
Since joining CERI's micro-finance development program, Mrs. Komathy and her family are enjoying the blessings of self-employment.
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