I’ve recently met and stayed at an amazing woman’s guest house during my trip to Sri Lanka. Gisela is a Tamil woman who has been trying to build a life in the name of her mother, her family and their connection to the land. After many traumatic incidents related to the civil war, with the violent persecution and discrimination against Tamil people, Gisela’s family eventually settled in Haputale; but the challenges didn’t end there.

As we know, history does not belong in the past and such violence leads to reverberations that echo to this day, creating more obstacles and challenges than necessary. Despite this Gisela’s resolve to continue her mother and father’s vision and legacy persists.

With the heavy rainfall during monsoon season the main guest house unit- and income source- is now deemed unsafe. Water has seeped in through the roof and created damp conditions with fungus growth and an unstable foundation. Being monsoon season means it is very unlikely that this revenue will be obtained through guest bookings.

This fundraiser aims to cover these costs to allow the repair and maintenance of Gisela’s main unit and enable her to continue looking after herself, her rescue dogs and her family’s land.