WERC
WERC together with the Women's Voice and Leadership Sri Lanka - The Asia Foundation, launched this project with the aim of building the capacity and to strengthen the voice of women in Sri Lanka. The project is organized to build the capacity of selected women activists, development workers, academicians and researchers and indirectly their organizations and workplaces through a Certificate Course in Women's Studies in the local languages. This is a multi-disciplinary course, which seeks to combine both theory and
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WERC in partnership with Mannar Women's Development Fund (MWDF) has undertaken to build a cohort of 25 young women trained and equipped to take the feminist agenda forward in their own contexts and as a collective group. This project seeks to bring to the forefront, issues affecting women including Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), laws pertaining to Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) and other flaws in the personal laws that discriminate against women. It also seeks to address harmful cultural practices s
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Recent statistics have shown an alarming increase in violence against children in Sri Lanka in the form of physical and mental torture, sexual assault and abuse. Children are also exposed to the use of illegal drugs and pornographic material which may lead to child prostitution and trafficking. This can be due to the unlimited broadcast of uncensored adult content in TV shows, popularity of mobile phones with internet facilities, increasing substance abuse, access to social media and the lack of sex education. WERC c
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In a bid to help urban female headed households, WERC launched its ‘Care and Share’ project on the 8th of March 2018 as a part of its activities for International Women’s Day 2018. New and nearly new clothes, shoes, stationery, children’s toys and dry rations etc. were collected by the WERC staff and distributed to the needy beneficiaries. WERC identified the immediate needs of four families in the Wellawatte urban area with the help of a volunteer field officer who was a former employee. Three out
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WERC launched its 'Care and Share’ project on the 8th of March 2018 as a part of its activities for International Women’s Day 2018. Clothes, shoes, stationery, children’s toys and dry rations etc. were collected by the WERC staff and distributed to the needy beneficiaries. Care & Share Project - 1st Batch Care & Share Project - 2nd Batch Care & Share Project - 3rd Batch
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Recent studies have revealed that the Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts have the highest statistics of violence against children. Keeping in mind the actions and reactions of the relevant authorities to child abuse in Sri Lanka, it is essential that we as service organizations pay attention to what we can do to minimize child abuse. Therefore, this project title "Awareness Creation among School Children and Mystery Painting for Abused Children in the Western Province" was designed to minimize the physical child ab
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After a visit paid to the nearby slum area in Wellawatte, we identified two families who were below the poverty line and who need immediate attention due to the demolition of their neighborhood by the Government to make apartment complexes. The two families have been relocated to newly built apartments, but to gain ownership, they have to make a down-payment of Rs. 50,000 within 3 months or risk eviction. In addition, they have been asked to pay Rs. 4,000 a month for 20 years or Rs. 3,000 a month for 30 years. The fi
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WERC identified a 37 year old widow from Kompavil in Puthukudiyiruppu who lost her husband due to shelling in the war. In the process of identifying the beneficiary, we received help from Ms. Thayalini who is a Women’s Development Officer in the same area. The needy beneficiary has worked in a tailoring shop in Mullaitivu and has two school going daughters to care for. We gifted her a Zoje Artisan Sewing Machine as she mentioned that she would like to be self-employed and earn a livelihood by sewing from home. F
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A visit by the Executive Director of WERC to a war widow in Jaffna peninsula named Ms. Bavani Kesavan who is 37 years old, made our organization to arrange some fund-raising activities to uplift her life. She is a mother of three children whose ages are 12, 10 and 6 respectively. Ms. Mala Kadar from United States of America gave her a helping hand for a period of one year. However, we found that these funds were not sufficient to provide basic requirements for her children who are showing excellent progress in their
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This project has been designed to develop attitudes and skills and enhance the capacity of youth groups towards being more gender sensitive and responsive to addressing issues especially of violence against women in their respective communities. It also aims to make the young generation more sensitive towards inter-ethnic, religious tolerance and freedom of religion and belief. The project aims to increase awareness and understanding of violence against women/girls and related issues among youth groups. The activitie
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