Roots
I was born and bred in Anuradhapura and I studied up to O/L there. Then in 1995 we lost all our property and came to Kilinochchi with my parents and brothers. We bought a plot of land and lived there.
A year after that my father died. My mother also died. Then my brothers and my uncle made a marriage proposal and gave me in marriage.
I have a daughter. I lost my husband when she was 5 years old. After that I faced severe hardships. I worked here and there to educate her. She studied up to O/L in Kilinochchi.
I have two elder brothers. They were both married and doing business. One got married in Kaithady and the other in Mannar. One of them died and the other is living.
I have witnessed with my own eyes, the riots that took place in Anuradhapura. It was an unforgettable incident. My father had a shop and he was also involved in cultivation. My mother was a good seamstress. I helped my mother in her tailoring work and played with my friends too.
I lost my father and after 5 years later I returned to Kilinochchi. We lost all our properties and were economically affected.
Ground
On the 20th of August 2010 my daughter and I returned to Kilinochchi. UNHCR provided relief items. We got mats for sleeping, lanterns and some money. Our land looked like a jungle. We paid money and cleared our land. Later our wells were cleaned by an organization. We made temporary sheds out of tarpaulin and lived there. They gave relief food items. We got help for my daughter’s education.
Prior to our displacement, NEAP provided financial assistance for a house under its scheme. After returning we constructed the foundation for a house and they gave us the balance money. Little by little we have built two rooms and a kitchen and are living in this house. I do not have a well. I fetch water from our neighbour’s well, which is 100 meters away. It is difficult.
As regards to economic development, R.D.F. organization provided an advance of Rs. 10,000/- to put up a poultry shed, sufficient for rearing 30 birds. We got Rs. 500/- for the month of December under the Samurthi scheme. We are faced with economic problems. Please help my daughter and me.
Bark
The war began in Kilinochchi during the month of September in 2008. Artillery shelling continued and Kfir aerial attacks were made close to the welfare camps. We were safeguarding ourselves in bunkers. By the end of the month we loaded our household things in a hired vehicle and went to Vattakkachchi. From there, with the help of our relatives my child and I went to Udaiyarkattu. There we lost all our belongings and struggled for food. Shelling and aerial bombing continued and we were in the bunkers.
Inside the bunker we’d make rice and dhal to eat. While we were eating shells would land nearby. We could not go to the toilets. We boil dhal in water and eat. Onions, garlic, tamarind, salt will not be available. We would vomit.
Relief items were given to the people in Udaiyarkattu. When we went to get the relief items we saw many people who had died due to shell attacks. We were afraid and returned back without getting the relief items. We would stand in the queue to get 100 grams of sugar. One day a shell landed there and the area was completely burnt.
We were displaced into an area called Mulliwaikkal. There they provided rice gruel. One day while waiting for the gruel about 5 people were killed on the spot. During the last stage of the war, we lay in the bunker for three days without food or clothes to change.
Branches
My hope is that, Tamils should have a better solution soon and good governance should prevail
My hope is that my child should be educated well and do a respectable job. She should look after me. I wish that my child would become a teacher.
My wish is that our village would be well developed and become a prosperous one. I should always live in my village
Leaves
When my husband died, I learned many lessons. I learned to stand on my own two feet.
Because I didn’t have employment, I suffered. But I am grateful that my friend taught me a trade.
Fruits
The encouragement provided by the organization Viluthu.
My child is my greatest strength.
Mahi and Samantha are two sisters from Malaysia, who studied in London. They are the ones who taught us trade for self-employment.