A gift of a garden

Life was hard for Manjula Priyantha, his wife Thusharika and their two young children. As a day labourer from Ganga Ihala Korale in the Kandy district, Manjula could barely make ends meet. Thusharika tried her best to supplement their meagre income by plucking tea.

The little family resigned themselves to the reality that they would probably face even more hardships as the educational needs of their children increased. When World Vision commenced its permaculture project in Ganga Ihala Korale, Manjula was overjoyed to find out he was identified as a beneficiary. He made up his mind to do the best he can with this opportunity.

Soon, he was equipped with several training programmes and became a leader farmer in the project. Manjula then began cultivating a vegetable garden in an unused plot of land he owned. “Earlier, I was not aware of farming methods and techniques. After completing the trainings on organic farming methods and pest management, I felt that I obtained all the tools to face the difficulties of farming,” said Manjula.

Manjula was determined to be the best farmer in this project. He was supported with seeds, home gardening equipment and bee keeping boxes. Through this assistance he was able to grow chemical free vegetables, fruits and medicinal plants.

“I am so happy that now our family has nutritious food and my children are safe from diseases and infections due to this healthy diet. Now, instead of buying fruits and vegetables from the market, I am able to use that money for my children’s education,” says Manjula, beaming.

Farmers were also provided with skills in money and time management through leadership and entrepreneurship training.

Manjula’s determination has been rewarded; he was selected as the best farmer in the Permaculture project. “I am very thankful to the World Vision Permaculture project for encouraging me to be a successful farmer. What I was able to achieve in a relatively short period of time was a real strength for the development of my family,” says a grateful Manjula, with tears in his eyes