‘I work hard so my children will not struggle the way I do’: Irish aid supports enterprising women in Sri Lanka
Sumeda and her two sisters all have muscular dystrophy and are wheelchair users. 'The work that we do here has allowed us to feel independent, pay our bills, buy our food, and look after each other,' she told Imasha Costa.
"I make these items for sports kits so that one day, I can send my kids abroad to university.”
Those are the words of 54-year-old Renuka, based in Piliyandala in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka.
She is one of thousands of Sri Lankan women who have taken on the role of family’s breadwinner through skills that they have repurposed over several years.
Women in Sri Lanka have resorted to setting up businesses in their own homes to support their families and cover day-to-day expenses, in an economic climate which has seen great destitution and poverty following the 2022 economic crisis that swamped the country.
Inflation, near depletion of foreign reserves, shortages of medical supplies, and the increase in prices of basic commodities, including food, began in 2019. This was followed by the covid pandemic, leading to the 2022 protests which saw Sri Lankan citizens throw out the Rajapaksa government.
For Renuka, her work sewing and creating items for cricket uniform kits is her only source of income.
The Maradana native said she makes between 90,000 and 200,000 rupees (€253-€563) a month and says most of this money goes towards the costs of food, bills, and extra grinds classes for her two children who are currently sitting their O-Levels and A-Levels — the equivalent of the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert.
She also supports her bedridden mother and the medical expenses of her younger sister.
“I work at all hours of the day — sometimes I could be working very late into the night if I have a big order that I need to get through,” Renuka told the .
“My kids go to bed, and I would be working with my sewing machine until maybe 1am or 2am.
“Sometimes I find myself cutting all the fabric shapes out on the floor here — you can still see the marks from the knife — and then I may fall asleep on the ground.
“My children then, who wake up will come in and see me asleep on the floor with no pillow, no blanket, and then give out to me saying: ‘You should not be working that late.’ ”
Renuka’s home is a small two-bedroom house with a red-clay floor. Her living room also acts as a kitchen, and her sewing machine sits right next to the front door, in front of the kitchen sink.
“My dream is to send my children abroad, to make sure that they don’t suffer as I do here in Sri Lanka,” she said.
“At some point in my life I would also like to open up a shop selling sports kits. That has always been my dream, for the past 25 years.”
Renuka said she has always been sewing since before her children were born.
“When I was heavily pregnant with my son, 18 years ago, I was sewing all the orders which would fit into gallon bags, and carrying them by myself to the shops to give it to them.
“They would wonder, ‘how are you carrying these all by yourself,’ and I would say: ‘It’s all OK, I can do this.’
“I really struggled for the past few years. Things were really difficult, I would go seeking help, any kind of support that I could get, crying because I needed to support my two children and make sure that they get through their education.”
All three sisters have muscular dystrophy and are wheelchair users. They were living in a home for disabled people after their mother died.
However, after learning how to sew and paint, they decided they wanted to set up a business to support their independent living and to live freely in their own home.
After receiving support from Sarvodaya, a Sri Lankan NGO, they were able to get land and a home where they can continue working their business. Sumeda said:
“I have always loved to sew, and just because I am disabled does not mean I cannot do it.
“Each of us does a different task. My sister Kumudu paints the art on the bags. My other sister Kamani adds the zips and handles to it.
“We all do different things, but we do this together.”
Sumeda hopes that one day their business will take off and allow them to eventually purchase a wheelchair-accessible van.
The sisters smiled as they spoke to the about their passion for creating. They moved to Godagama after leaving the home for disabled people in Rajagiriya.
“One day, we hope that we can live well enough and not worry about anything else,” Sumeda said.
Meanwhile, in Kolonnawa near the Kelaniya river, Latha, 42, works hard every day designing handbags, backpacks, and travel bags for eager customers who place orders of between 100-300 items.
Originally from Matale in the Central Province north of Kandy, Latha says she makes 100,000 rupees (€281) a month from her business.
“After paying our food, our bills, and my daughters’ education fees, their school travel fees, nothing is left over,” the mother of three said.
“I love what I am doing. I wake up at 5am every morning, get everything in the house done before I start working. And some nights I do not finish until 1am or 2am, and then I am up again. It’s constant.
“My husband helps me transport the items wherever they need to go, like to the Petta markets, the fairs across different areas, and even up north to Jaffna. It is a great help.”
Latha said that when she first started out, when she wanted to get into the business at first, she was told she needed over 500,000 rupees (€1,407) as a downpayment.
“I sold two of my gold bangles for 260,000 rupees [€732], and pawned my sister’s two bangles for a similar amount,” she said.
However, she was at a loss after that, after the deal fell apart and she lost her money because the plan did not come to fruition.
Now, she works from her home, with another woman in her employ, and has already begun teaching some of her neighbours how to sew bags as well.
“My dream is to own a bigger place so that my family and I can thrive there. This means that I can hire more people and we can carry out more orders,” Latha said.
Sarvodaya supports many women across Sri Lanka and, following a “due process screening” and applications, it provides what these women need to help them carry out their business.
However, Mr Niswi raised concerns about Donald Trump’s freezing of US aid, which the organisation and many others across the country benefited from. Since 1956, the US has provided over $2bn (€1.69bn) in development assistance to the country.
"Talented, very talented, staff who we could not fund anymore,” he said.
“Some 18% to 20% of projects within our organisation were funded by USAid. Now we have been informed that it may take more than three years before we see anything come our way.
“These women that we support need continuous progress. It’s not just that we get grants to give them, say, for example, a sewing machine — we also support them through promoting themselves, how to market, how to sell, and how to compete with corporate markets.
“If we lose this funding, then we would have to pause those supports, which could lead to these women and their work being put on hold, which could lead to them to become disheartened, lose hope, and all the effort that we have put in for them to progress will be lost.”
Mr Niswi added that while they are looking elsewhere for funding, it is difficult to get anything at all.
“We are looking to European funding, but they are much more lengthy and specific and very likely to get your proposals rejected,” he said. “Sri Lanka, unlike other countries, does not have a culture of funding its homegrown NGOs, and I do not think it ever will.”
When asked, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is continuing to “closely assess the immediate and long-term impact of funding cuts from the US and other countries”.
“The impact of these cuts are being felt across many countries. We are continuing to work with our partners, including civil society and multilateral partners, to assess the impact of funding cuts,” a spokesperson said.
Minister of state Neale Richmond said that “at a time when humanitarian needs are rising globally, the impact of funding cuts from the US and elsewhere are having a severe impact.”
“The impact of Ireland’s humanitarian and development work around the world is something Irish people should feel very proud about.
“Through our embassy in India, Ireland has supported civil society organisations in Sri Lanka. Most recently we supported Misean Cara’s work to strengthen the rights of women and children.”
Mr Richmond said this work is “vital” and that its embassy in India remains “engaged in Sri Lanka and, along with EU partners, we are monitoring political developments and human rights of vulnerable people”.
- This reporting was facilitated by a grant from the Simon Cumbers Fund
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