"My name is Seliyan. I live with my wife and our two children in a rural village. Before this disaster, life was not easy, but we managed. I am a farmer and also work as a day laborer whenever work is available. Like many families around us, we had small vegetable gardens and livestock, which helped us earn a basic income. My wife works only occasionally, so most of the responsibility to provide for the family was on me. Even though our income was limited, we were able to meet our daily needs through farming, selling milk, and daily labor work.

On November 27 and 28, 2025, everything changed [with Cyclone Ditwah]. The island-wide disaster affected us badly. It felt like the devastation we heard about during the tsunami years ago.

Heavy rains and landslides destroyed many homes, vegetable gardens, and livelihoods in our area. Many families lost their livestock. By God’s grace, my animals survived, but the situation is still very difficult. The road leading to our village was badly damaged, so the vehicle that comes every day to collect milk cannot reach us.

Because of this, I cannot sell milk and have lost my main source of income.

After the disaster, life became much harder. We are day laborers, and we earn money only if work is available. Now, there is no work. We cannot even take our livestock to graze because the land is unsafe. The prices of food and essential items in the market have increased, making survival even more difficult. Many families here rent land for vegetable farming. Some pay rent by pawning their small gold items, and others have taken loans. Now, with no income and crops destroyed, we have no way to repay these debts. It will take many days, maybe months, for life to return to normal.

In this very difficult time, the [food] pack [the Nazarene church] provided has been a great help to my family. It has supported us during a time when we have no income at all. While it may not solve all our problems, it has given us some relief and hope. We do not have to worry about food immediately, and that means a lot when everything else feels uncertain.

[Since] we lost our income and access to markets, this support reminded us that we are not forgotten. It has strengthened us emotionally and helped us continue caring for our children and livestock during this hard period.

I sincerely thank you for the support you provided. It has helped my family and many others survive during one of the hardest times we have faced. May God bless you for standing with us in our time of need."

Cyclone Ditwah impacted at least 1.8 million people and caused at least 650 fatalities. Once the storm passed, Nazarene churches in Sri Lanka sprang into action, providing food for 2,240 people in 17 communities. Now, churches are preparing for a second round of relief efforts that will include educational supply distributions for children, repairs to a child development center, emergency preparedness training for 1,000 families, and connecting close to 200 elderly residents with social services for additional support.

You can help Seliyan and families like his with their ongoing recovery from Ditwah on our website. Thank you for your generous support.