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An enthusiastic LH beneficiary through RNE

Santhirakumar Prema

Prema is a women-headed household and an LH farmer by profession. She was provided a cow through the UNDP – RNE project, and that cow is now milking. In addition, she has two cows of her own, and one of them is also a milker. During our post-monitoring when she was asked about the expansion of her LH farming, Prema declined immediately. She said that now there is harmony between her life and the daily routine of her work and if she enhances her LH, she might have to sacrifice one or more of the following. Looking after her 05-member family, childcare, children’s welfare, looking after her elderly mother, raising her cows, milking, and selling, backyard poultry are her daily scheduled works and she did not want to disrupt.

Santhirakumar Prema’s family

Santhirakumar Prema, a widow, is 48 years old and bears NIC 757132281V & displaced in 1990 and now lives at Punnalikadduvan in the Uduvil Divisional Secretariat division. Prema’s native place is Vasavilan, and her land comes under the so-called high-security zone therefore it is not available for those inhabitants to live. Prema studied up to GCE Ordinary Level & was 15 years old when she was displaced from her village along with her parents in the year 1990 and lived in several places in the Valihamam division and then moved to Kilinochchi & Thunukkai in Vanni division for two years. Then again returned to Jaffna in 2014, and since then living in Punnalaikadduvan.

She was married in the year 2007 and travelled by ship via Colombo to the Vanni. That was the time when there were many extrajudicial killings that took place daily and the fear made the couple move to the territory which was controlled by the LTTE for their safety. She lived for nearly seven years there in places like Kilinochchi, Vanni including Vavuniya. The business was the profession of her husband, he bought in bulk betel leaves & areca nuts and sold those to retail sellers in Kilinochchi, Mullaitheivu & Thunukkai. In the meantime, Prema worked as Social Mobilizer for one year (2007) in an NGO named LEADS.

Prema was fortunate to have her married life only for 04 years, which gave her 03 daughters. Her husband died in an accident on 30^th Sep 2010. He met an accident with a military vehicle in Palai. Then she lived for a few months with others’ help in Kilinochchi. She managed to work again for the LEADS in Vavuniya in 2010. She moved to Muththaiyankaddu in Mullaitheivu district and followed her husband’s profession on a small scale since 2011, she sold betel leaves & areca nuts. In 2014 she decided to return to Jaffna for her children’s studies, since Vasavilan was not permitted, she opted to settle in Punnalikadduvan land which was also owed by her parents. She managed a small retail grocery shop at her home as her livelihood. She said that the learned experience from her husband and her own gave her confidence in business. She built her house with government assistance. She continued the business as her livelihood, she sold grocery items in her retail shop. She had a hearing problem and underwent an operation in the year 2019 and stayed in the hospital for 03 months, the operation was not successful, and she lost hearing ability in that ear, and her other ear has only 40% hearing capability. She was provided a hearing by the hospital (market value 60,000/=) which now seems not working. The battery for the hearing aid cost her Rs. 1,000/= for two months (six weeks). The grocery shop was managed by her mother when Prema was hospitalized for three months and when she returned found that she had nothing remaining including the capital, her 03 children, and her elderly mother used the items that were in the shop for their survival.

Since the year 2019, Prema adopted animal husbandry as her prime livelihood, she started with one cow and 10 goats, and a few backyard fowls. She could not thrive on goat raring as they were hunted by stray dogs while they were left for grassing. But her setbacks could not make her give up animal husbandry. She said that her children were occasionally supported by well-wishers for education, and though she had domestic chores she somehow managed a stable equilibrium of her responsibilities, and her emotional balance.

Now, two of her cows are milking 10 liters, and she sells the milk to the milk collecting center and retains a portion for domestic consumption. Feeding the cattle is her main concern, she wants to give fresh grass to the milking cows believing that she can get good quality milk. Therefore, she takes her cows for grazing to the nearest & safest places, and she too travels distance farmlands by her motorcycle to cut grass for her cattle. But due to her physical deformity, she mostly misses calls from children. She is also very concerned about the safety of her 03 daughters.

Now, with the help of YGROW planted CO3 grass at home,

And as per Prema’s request, CFCD donated her 02 milk canes.

The Prema said that until CFCD donate a cow and a calf, she had two cows, and one gave little milk and a few backyard hens that gave few eggs to consume and sell, said that she was struggling to make ends meet with a big family, she pawned the jewels when money needed. But with assistance from CFCD, says that she became the owner of a herd of cattle, 03 cows and 03 calves, increase in the number of cattle means the growth of her capital. Now she did not spend money on milk powder, the income generated by the sale of milk is being used mainly for their food, and the balance of money she spends on cattle feed, and nothing more remains for saving but there is no necessity arose so far for her to pawn her jewels. She is expecting that her income shall increase in the future.

The way she valued her profession is observed by CFCD in their post-monitoring visits, her appreciation being expressed not in words, but instead visible in the care giving of her livestock and is not taken for granted. Prema is determined for potential long-term positive consequences.