SOS Family Strengthening Program Makes a Difference for Ramani - #putchildrenfirst
In Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, lives Ramani: a wife, mother of two, and thanks to the SOS Family Strengthening Program, a successful small business owner.
Coming from a lower social class, Ramani found it extremely difficult to meet the needs of her children. Her husband, Ajith, worked on contractual assignments and, without a steady job, barely managed to provide for the family. “I wanted to increase family’s income, send my children to good school, and buy books for them. I wished for a decent living standard for my children,” explains Ramani.
She started to make small food items and sold them in the local market, earning enough to buy vegetables, milk, and rice. Then, in January 2010, SOS Children’s Villages Piliyandala offered her a chance to take skill training sessions and financial management workshops. “The training we received on finance management is like a blessing: now all of us know how to utilise money and save for our children,” says Ramani with a smile.
“My life turned upside down,” she reveals. “My two sons, aged 18 and 15, were able to carry on with their education without any trouble.” Her elder son was preparing for advanced examinations at the time, and support from SOS allowed him to participate in all of the extra classes. Since then, business has expanded for Ramani, who is now offering lunches and dinners, and catering at functions. She also packages and sells spices, which are earning enough for her to buy furniture and build a toilet for her home, and start construction to fulfill a long-cherished dream of her family’s: having a house of their own.
“I help her in every way I can. Now I am a partner in her business,” Ajith says proudly. “SOS helped us in many ways.”
The SOS Family Strengthening Program in Piliyandala has been in operation since 2002 and now reaches out to over 275 families, including more than 530 child beneficiaries. The Family Strengthening Program works directly with marginalized families and communities to empower them and prevent the tragedies that can happen when parents cannot effectively care for their children: sickness, malnutrition, homelessness, and, in the worst cases, child abandonment. A small amount of support from the FSP allows families to dramatically improve their lives and become self-sufficient.
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