Wheels of Change

Shalika’s Story

After being abandoned and facing harsh living conditions, Shalika started selling vegetables to support her children. With help from the EU-DESTINY Project, she received a mobile food cart that transformed her small stall into a thriving business. Today, Shalika is confident and hopeful, building a better future for her family.

After being abandoned and facing harsh living conditions, Shalika started selling vegetables to support her children. With help from the EU-DESTINY Project, she received a mobile food cart that transformed her small stall into a thriving business. Today, Shalika is confident and hopeful, building a better future for her family.

Shalika, a resilient 30-year-old mother of two, faced enormous challenges after her husband abandoned the family and forced them out of their home. With nowhere else to go, she moved in with her mother. But the presence of her sister in that household created tension, and Shalika was left with no choice but to leave once again. She found a small rented house near the Mankadawala tank, where she began life anew with her two young children.

To make ends meet, Shalika initially worked as a hired labourer. But due to concerns for her children’s safety, she gave up that work and started selling small quantities of vegetables to nearby villagers. Her income was barely enough for one meal a day. The house they lived in was frequently damaged by elephants at night and raccoons during the day, and during the rainy season, the roof offered little protection. But Shalika never gave up.

With help from a few neighbors, she set up a small vegetable stall using a wooden table on the roadside. A kind individual gave her a few bunches of bananas on credit, trusting her to repay once they were sold. She placed the bananas by the road, and many passersby, seeing her determination and struggle, stopped to support her. With the income she earned, she could feed her children a bit better and began to dream of something more stable.

As months passed, the Grama Niladhari informed Rajarata Praja Kendraya about Shalika’s situation. When our team visited her home and listened to her story, we saw a woman who was fighting every day to care for her children. She told us she needed help to grow the small business she had started. Through the EU-DESTINY Project, we were able to support her with a mobile food cart, something she could use to expand her sales and keep her children safe beside her while she worked.

With the cart, Shalika has transformed her small roadside stall into a thriving mobile shop. She now sells bananas, vegetables, fruits, coconuts, corn, and more. Her income has improved, and more importantly, so has her confidence.

Today, Shalika proudly says she is no longer afraid of the future. She is confident now, and believes she can raise her children toward a bright and secure future. Her story is one of quiet strength, persistence, and transformation—and we are proud to stand beside her on this journey.