Ramani is a young mother of two children, living in a remote impoverished village in Sooriyawewa. She sells vegetables to earn a living. She buys good quality curry leaves and unripe Jak fruit from her local market, dries and packs them, and then sends the product to Colombo for export.
Ramani says “selling dried vegetables is not a lucrative business”. Although her husband is a farmer, she is essentially the bread winner of the family. However, since of late her venture has taken a downward turn and the family is struggling to make ends meet.
Even though her main livelihood was selling dried vegetables, Ramani’s passion has always been sewing and weaving. Thus, she was thrilled at the opportunity of being one of the beneficiaries at the rush and reed training programme conducted by the Communities for Peace Project (C4P) in partnership with “Gamegedara” and funded by the Government of Australia. Ramani found out about the programme from the District Secretariat. For her, getting a training in rush and reed work is like a dream come true.
Ramani considers herself privileged to be one of the beneficiaries and has learned a lot from the programme. Not only has she learned about the industry but also about the culture that is woven into this art. 
Ramani knows that the rush and reed industry is losing its marketability owing to the lack of innovative ideas and strong market linkages. However, this does not deter her from venturing into the business. She believes she can bypass such difficulties, because the programme has taught her both about the art of weaving and using innovative techniques and designs. With the newly acquired marketing strategies and skills, she is confident that her business will grow. Ramani has big dreams for the future. She wants to refurbish her little dwelling and also educate the two children with the income she expects from the rush and reed industry. She feels confident that this opportunity will help her realize her dreams.
Ramani and her fellow trainees have a lot of faith in this training. They feel that this cottage industry has the potential to turn into a profitable venture. Raw material is found in abundance in the district and with the economic boom in Hambantota and the construction of the port and airport; they expect a massive influx of tourists.