By Sarah Maraschky | Communications & Development Officer
Final report: Thank you for helping get Sri Lanka’s farmers back on their feet!
More than two and a half years ago, Peace Winds began our fundraising drive, “Helping Sri Lanka’s farmers get back on their feet,” with the intention of alleviating some of the hardship that the people faced after the April 2022 financial crisis. Although the crisis and its effects are far from over, the need for emergency fundraising has passed, and we will be closing this particular campaign on October 31, 2024.
Thanks to the kindness of donors like you, our teams in Trincomalee could provide food kits to more than 400 families in the early stages of the crisis. These families live in some of the poorest, hardest-hit areas, and many of them lost their jobs. Residents like Mrs. Rohini, a mother of three whose husband lost much of his income during the crisis, expressed their sincere gratitude for the food kits provided by Peace Winds. These included rice, flour, sugar, tea, lentils, noodles, dried fish, and nutritional supplements.
“We receive 3,500 rupees (US$10) in cash a month from the government as welfare, but now that prices are soaring, even with my husband’s income, it is very difficult to live,” Mrs. Rohini said at the time. “Our family is very grateful. Thank you to everyone at Peace Winds.”
In addition to food distribution, donors like you have made it possible for us to continue to support job opportunities through programs focused on agriculture, which is a predominant source of income for many Sri Lankan families. Over the last several years, Peace Winds’ agriculture programs have helped farmers increase the value and output of their produce through organic and circular farming. This kind of support was especially crucial at the height of the economic crisis when the soaring price of chemical fertilizers and pesticides left them out of reach for many people. Peace Winds’ training programs have helped farmers learn to use fewer resources, make their own fertilizers and pesticides from organic materials, increase their outputs, and earn a fair price at local markets.
Although the economic situation is still difficult for many families, conditions in Sri Lanka have stabilized. Shortages of food, fuel, and medications have largely subsided, and inflation has come down since its peak at 70%. For this reason, we feel it is best to wrap up this particular donation drive.
This does not mean that Peace Winds will not continue to work to aid the most vulnerable people in Sri Lanka. With Japanese government funding, we are currently overseeing an initiative to help other small-scale farmers implement circular agriculture methods in Trincomalee District, and another new program to improve irrigation systems, support poultry farming, and take other measures to improve agricultural opportunities in Mullaitivu District.
We cannot overstate how much your generosity meant to us in those first crucial months as we worked to bring emergency relief to those in need. If you would like to support Peace Winds’ work for individuals displaced by disasters, war, and crises in other parts of the world, please check out our other GlobalGiving projects. We will continue to bring updates from Sri Lanka through our newsletters and on our blog, so please consider signing up to receive updates to ensure you don’t miss out on future reports. Thank you again for the support you have shown Peace Winds and the people of Sri Lanka over the past two years.
By Sarah Maraschky | Communications Associate
By Sarah Maraschky | Communications Associate
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