Like so many other families living in Mullaitivu, Ramaswamy Kokilavathani's family struggles daily to meet their most basic needs. The 30-year ethnic conflict cost them not only their material possessions, but also their loved ones, leaving 35-year-old Kokilavathani the only one left to support the family. "We lost everything in the war and now we have to start our lives all over again," she complained when the Danish European Mission partner first met her. "But we have no money to buy the things we need and it's hard to find work because we live in a village." She also said that she dreamed of buying a cow so she could earn money by selling the milk.
Today, Kokilavathani owns three cows and their calves. This allows her to earn money for everyday life by selling the milk she gets from the cows. "I am very grateful to the Evangelical Alliance in Sri Lanka [Danish European Mission partner ed.] for helping me get this livelihood," said Kokilavathani. "We were very happy to get the cows because we could get nutrition from the milk when it was difficult to get food. Now that our income has increased because of what we earn from selling the milk, we will never go hungry again! God bless your organization for enabling me to provide for my family."
