Bitter Sweet

This is our first crop,’ he proudly explains, as he cuts the pineapple stem with a machete, then breaks the pineapple from its base with his hands. ‘We are very excited; we never expected to be growing pineapples.’ Sporting an infectious smile and warm eyes, Samantha is the president of a community-based organisation that grows pineapples and oranges in the village of Pahalalanda in Ampara.

An ex-inmate, Samantha has managed to rebuild his life with the help of the MJF Charitable Foundation’s Small Entrepreneur Programme (SEP). Samantha served four years in prison for armed robbery, following a drunken night out with some fellow soldiers. ‘I thought my life had ended,’ he explains. ‘I was a soldier who committed this crime; what hope did I have?’ In prison he learnt tailoring and when released in 2008, he established his own tailoring business, making uniforms for the Civil Defence troops. ‘People started to trust me again. I felt like I was reborn.’