Annai is the Tamil word for mother.
Before dawn on the eastern coast, a brass lamp sits cold on a doorstep. This is the story of who lit it — and who never came home to see it.
She raised a generation that dreamed of a free future.
They did not come home. She kept the photograph, the garland, and the date — and carried on alone.
Rooted in remembrance.
அன்னை
Annai
The Tamil word for mother. In our culture mothers are the foundation of family, community and identity. To honour them is to honour ourselves.
மாவீரர்
Maaveerar
Those who gave their lives for the liberation of Tamileelam. Their mothers carry both the grief and the pride.
தன்னுரிமை
Thannurimai
Personal liberty and self-reliance. Support that lets her live with dignity and keep her independence.
Remembering them is not a ceremony once a year. It is rice, medicine, and a lamp that stays lit.
The liberation war was silenced. Her waiting was not.
A roof that lets the monsoon in. One pot on a small fire. A second chair that nobody sits in. Old age found her with no one left to lean on.
Most of the twenty-eight dollars reaches her.
About the cost of one dinner out here. 5,000 rupees there — landing in her own bank account, in her own name.
Twenty-eight dollars. One mother. Every month.
You give $28 CAD
About the cost of one dinner out. Charged monthly. Cancel anytime.
We wire it home
Through a trusted local partner, 5,000 rupees lands in her own bank account.
She decides
Food, medicine, the leaking roof. Her money. Her choices. Her dignity.
You should be able to check.
Running this is not free. Bank charges, transfer fees, payment processing, currency movement and an honorarium for our representative back home are paid out of the portion we retain. Those costs change month to month. We publish what was actually spent each January, and we will show you the records any time you ask.
Rice. Medicine. The roof.
We do not send a parcel and call it dignity. We send money, and she decides what her month needs. Her money. Her choices.
Where the programme stands today
Every donor is paired with one mother
Monthly direct support
Financial records published every year
We are newly launched: our first mothers are being onboarded with our local partner now. As the system grows, real numbers — mothers supported, funds transferred — will live on this page, published each January. We publish what is true.
“I light the lamp every evening. Now I can also buy the oil.”
We are the children who remember.
A volunteer-run Canadian nonprofit with one job: making sure no mother of Tamileelam faces old age forgotten and alone. We send money each month to the mothers and families of Maaveerar.
Transparency
You can see where the money goes. We publish records each January, and we will show you any time you ask.
Dignity
We treat every mother with respect. She decides how the money is used.
Direct impact
Your money goes straight to her own bank account.
Standing with her is simple.
Commit
You authorise a monthly debit straight from your bank account, on the same day each month.
Get paired
Once that first payment clears — about a week, sometimes two if your bank verifies by micro-deposit — you are matched with one mother. Not a pool. Not a fund. A person.
Stay connected
Updates as her months get lighter. Cancel anytime.
One mother is waiting.
The pairing takes about a week. The difference lasts years.
No payment taken here · Donation receipts issued once you are set up · Not tax-deductible(we are an NPO without a CRA charity number)
The questions donors actually ask.
Where does my money go?
Most of your $28 goes straight to the mother you are paired with in Tamileelam. The rest covers what it costs to get it there — bank charges, transfer fees, payment processing, currency movement — and an honorarium for our representative back home. We publish what was actually spent each January, and we will show you the records any time you ask.
Can I choose who I support?
We match you with a mother based on need and who has been waiting longest. You are paired with one specific woman, not a pool. When the pairing is made we introduce you personally: her name, her district, her situation, and how to reach her. Her photo is shared only if she has agreed to it.
Will I receive updates?
Yes, and the first one arrives straight away. The moment you send the Get Involved form you get an email confirming we have it. Within a few days, a welcome package follows by email with your pairing details and a link to set up your automatic monthly payment (PAD). Once your support begins we send updates on how your money is helping, and you can log into your account any time to see your donation history.
Can I pause or cancel my donation?
Yes. You can pause or cancel anytime from your account. No fees. No questions asked.
Is Annai Foundation a registered charity?
No. We are a Canadian non-profit without a CRA charity number, so you will receive a donation receipt, not a tax receipt, and your gift is not tax-deductible. We would rather tell you that up front. No one on our team takes a salary; the only payment made from donations is an honorarium that covers our representative's expenses on the ground.
How do I know the money reaches the right person?
We work with a trusted local partner in Tamileelam who distributes the funds directly to each mother. We verify receipts and share updates with donors upon request — see "Where does my money go?" above for how we publish what was actually spent.
Can the mother contact me?
This depends on your privacy settings. When you sign up, you can choose how much information you want to share. Some donors and mothers exchange letters.
What if I want to donate more than $28?
You can set any monthly amount you want. Anything above $28 keeps the programme steady: it covers a mother whose donor has cancelled until we find her another one, absorbs the currency movement between Canada and Sri Lanka, and pays the bank, transfer and processing fees. Those costs vary month to month, which is why we report what was actually spent rather than promise a split.
Do you help anyone other than mothers?
Mothers are where we started, because they lost the most. The children they raised would have been the ones providing for them now, and that is exactly what was taken when those children went to fight for our future. The loss did not stop with them - fathers, siblings and children carry it too. As the system grows we intend to widen who we can reach. We will say so here when we can do it properly, and not before.
There is still a way in.
Share her story
Send this page to one person who would want to know. Most of our donors came from someone they trust.
Volunteer
We are run entirely by volunteers. The help we need most: Tamil translation, community outreach, and bookkeeping.