Standing alone

My husband died last year, so now I am alone in taking care of our six children. I have a laundry store, so all our money supply comes from that. Before my husband would do other work, odd jobs for temples and weddings, but now we don't get that income. It's hard now, especially when buying school supplies for the children.

After they closed the border, the prices for everything went up, like sugar and flour, and there are more refugees here now. It's hard for us, everything is very difficult. We only have this one store, and now all the prices have gone up. We only get a little money, but the kids need a lot and it's very difficult...

I feel Tamil people can't live with the Sri Lankan government. Like the good snake, they can seem harmless for a while, but then they will bite and release their poison. So like that, the government is watching and waiting for one day to bite. So even though some may think it's a nice snake, today or one day we'll see the truth...

Living here in Vanni is very different from life in Jaffna. Here you can live freely, if at midnight your ear starts hurting you can go to the hospital. But there in the evenings I'm scared to even light a candle. It's very difficult there. I asked my relatives why they were staying there, when they couldn't even leave their house after 6 pm. They later came from there to stay here with me for safety. They say how freely we live here, and how much happier we are here. There even if someone in the next house is dying, you can't go and help...

Growing up we didn't hace all the conveniences to study. But unlike us, I want my children to be able to study freely. I only studied until the 4th grade. I don't want my children to go through the same difficulties as me. Now all my children are studying. My last son, who's only 6 years old, says he wants to be a doctor.

-Venthiny Sobiraj, 36 years