Building women’s leadership through the institutional development
Second liners should be built for a better performance of the RWF. It is necessary to identify the social issues today and take suitable action.
Women have to mobilize to pressure the government for solutions to the problems caused by globalization especially for women. Increased representation of women in politics is a must and women leaders in the community have to be mounded.
Building Leadership of Women
The objective of this program is to promote the rural women towards a political leadership. The main goal of the organization is to take the women forward in the spheres of economic, social, political and environmentally sustainable manner. Within this framework the rural women are encouraged to take up leadership role in the community. The rural women are mobilized through the rural societies where women are the key members and these women are mobilized and organized around workshops on leadership, legal awareness and self employment. Awareness on CEDAW, Women’s Charters and then builds their awareness on how to analyze a problem and how to mobilize themselves. The foundation of these awareness program is the rights of women. The rural societies are based on the Grama Niladari areas and a few of these rural societies are apexed to area committees with office bearers who are elected members.
Once the awareness program is well in place and the groups are made aware of the rights then the women leaders are streamlined along the sectors such as economic development through self employment activities , and organic home gardening program, Consequently, a loan scheme and awareness raising on self employment and skill building and a marketing programs are conducted. An exchange program on the products is also piloted. A network among the organizations is formed to exchange products made by women. Space is created to sell products from time to time.
It is expected to take forth the leadership of women towards political participation. Programs based on improving skills in public speaking, rallying and lobbying on selected issues such as VAW, organizing women around the issues by these women, has made them discard fear and work on the more political issues such as migrant worker women and VAW. Mobilization and working as pressure groups is very evident and a second level leadership is developed in the rural areas. They do not hesitate to take up issues at the village level even without waiting to refer to the head office. A fearless women leadership is witnessed and many women are taking up issues with the ministries and specially with the Bureau on Foreign Employment to deal with the migrant women worker issues.
Expectation to take forward Leadership Program
The intention is to lead women to political leadership and form an independent group to organize during elections. One way of doing this is to organize around the prevailing parties and another way is to organize as an independent group or to create a new thinking on violence free political environment and sphere through women leadership. The aim is to create a peaceful political environment and violence free elections and political processes within the rural communities through awareness raising, inter ethnic dialogues and shramadana and common work, work through children, creating a society free of violence against women , bring together the key people in the community, mediation on conflicts in the community. Another objective is to work on the caste issues in some areas and bring more information and social analysis within communities on the caste systems. Also, it focuses to work with excluded groups to bring them to the mainstream and building the capacity of the marginalized groups. Work together to bring the urgent infrastructure to the village such as a common well, herbal garden, a pre –school and a common market for women’s produce is another main expectation.
