The Story of Aisha

During our journey in search of safe food back in 2023, we came across a lady with a smile that could brighten any darkness within, and a generosity that veiled her extreme poverty. Her name is Aisha. She is the wife of a dear friend and the proud mother of a young daughter, Akila.

Born to Buddhist parents and named Ranjani Kumari, she was the fifth of six children.
Her parents were generational farmers, yet hardship and poverty followed her.

In desperation for a better life, she was forced to leave the country and work as a domestic worker in the Middle East, where she embraced Islam wholeheartedly. Several years later, she returned home with hope, the savings she had earned, a marriage, and a baby girl.

But hopes for a better life faded as a series of calamities struck Sri Lanka, from the Easter attacks and COVID‑19 to the extreme economic recession. Her husband lost his job and was forced to work away from home for wages below the minimum wage.

Separated from her husband and living with her young daughter, who was studying at a primary school in a rural village on the outskirts of Monaragala, Aisha was left to provide for her child by working as a labourer in the cornfields.

During the month of Ramadan,
she begins her day by willingly upholding her fast with whatever little she had saved from the night before. After getting Akila ready and walking her to school, Aisha sets off to the cornfields to work under the grueling heat.

Almost every day, she walks along a broken path, crossing streams and muddy pastures, to help her mother, who lives alone surrounded by acres of chena cultivation. The walk alone takes an hour.

She is the one who gave us the courage to begin our organic farming project.
Her words truly echo in our heads even now

“This is our land and we’ll take care of it for you!”

That is exactly what she did. Not a single day passed without her being there, chasing away birds and wild boars, weeding, and maintaining the land with quiet, unwavering sincerity and dedication.

Her mother cannot be forgotten either. She would walk barefoot to our land in the middle of the night to chase away wild boar by lighting crackers, our land being right next to hers. Without the two of them, we never would have become farmers.

The dirt on their garments does nothing to diminish the purity in their hearts.
Many such stories remain hidden from the world, but it is our responsibility to serve and protect the people around us. And that is what we do.

We have been able to support Aisha datha,
we call her “datha“, meaning “sister,” for she is the sister we never had
and a few more beautiful human beings, thanks to you.

You, who have acknowledged our values and are benefiting from what we do together.