|
The rural Women’s Front saw the light of day, on 20th and 21st June 1988 in the conference held at the Sathyodaya hall in Kandy.
The peasants Development Programme which was active in rural areas in Sri Lanka at the time, organized funded and gave leadership to this conference. At that time the Peasants’ Development Programme was implemented with the activists of Galle and the Central province of the All Ceylon Peasants’ Movement which was the revolutionary Peasants’ organization that worked on behalf of the Sri Lankan peasants’ issues. Only 2 women were included in the Executive Committee of the Peasants’ Development Programme. These two were Sriyani Pathirage and Soma Hettige. |
|
Sriyani Pathirage addressing the conference at Sathyodaya hall in Kadndy in 1988 |
|
First meeting of RWF |
|
The RWF was active in keeping with its experiences on solving women’s issues, but the following factors had the be reckoned with:
The identity of each work areas That there could be no uniformity in action as the nature of women’s issues in each area at times differs. That their traditional beliefs and attitudes should be gradually changed causing no harm to their organizational framework. That their confidence in RWF should be built through activities.
|
|
Prior to the above conference a host of necessary activities to build up a rural women’s leadership was done by Sriyani Pathirage and Soma Hettige by holding discussions and organizing societies in connection with women’s diverse issues in Galle, Kurunegala, Minipe, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya, Walapane and Hangurankethe areas which came under the peasants’ Development Programme.
Therefore by this time the necessity to build a National Women’s Organization with rural women’s leadership had arisen.
The Conference of June 20th and 21st 1988 was called with such an objective. The theoretical guidance and leadership of comrade Wimal Gamini Yapa who was at that time a leader of the leftist movement and president of the peasants’ Development Programme and vice president All Ceylon Peasant’s Movement was available to hold this conference.
21 women leaders who worked voluntarily with the Peasant’s Development Programme in rural areas of the island were the participants. The main theme was “Rural Women’s Leadership in Sri Lanka”.
How far did the women’s organizations help to solve rural women’s issues? If not is it necessary to build such an organization?
The above mentioned issues were taken up for discussion during the two days.
The final decision was that a women’s organization with rural women’s leadership should be formed as there was no means to solve the issues specific to rural women. Accordingly the Rural Women’s Front was born.
Though the Rural Women’s Front came into being in this manner there were no financial provisions for it to function. Therefore it was essential to the continuous financial support from the Peasants’ Development Programme rely on the inaugural office was at Hanguranketha where the RWF was most active.
|
|
Birth of RWF |