| One of the main aims of Nirmanee is to raise awareness
in the society on the participation of women in decision making.
To this extend Nirmanee is organising regular workshops and discussion
circles, producing a magazine focusing on women’s issues,
engaging with women in various different categories including trade
union members, laborers, women workers of Free Trade Zones, university
students, house wives, etc to raise their awareness of socioeconomic
issues that are faced by our society.
The simplest fact that over 50% of Sri Lankan society consist
of women but the political representation at the decision making
level of the country; the parliamentary level is limited to a
mere 5% argues for the need to have more and more activities aimed
at strengthening women in the Sri Lankan society. To a larger
extend women in Sri Lanka are marginalized from decision making
on socioeconomic issues but their unconditional support is expected
when issues, solutions and plans are prepared and implemented.
For example at elections women voters become a very decisive factor
but very little is done to raise their awareness on issues or
to get their participation in the process of finding solutions.
Even in the case of the armed conflict women are the single largest
category of victims despite their geographical location. In the
South as well as in the North women have experienced the war and
devastation connected to it first hand and have developed coping
mechanisms, survival strategies as well as communication and sharing
methods across various boarders that divide people. With the practical
experiences women have gathered during the war they have vast
amount of knowledge to contribute to the process of redesigning
the Sri Lankan society but that contribution is not sought.
With this series of workshops, discussion circles and sharing,
writing, printing and distribution of literature Nirmani is expecting
to raise awareness of some of the women in the society. As some
of the potential participants are active in trade unions, workplaces
and as family members it is hoped that the participants would
be catalysts and be able to take raise awareness of the others
as well. In simple terms at least the participants would be influenced
to vote for parties and candidates who are committed to finding
solutions to the on going problems in a peaceful manner.
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Our
Objectives
- Organise workshops
and discussion circles to provide opportunities to raise awareness
of women on socioeconomic issues.
- Share knowledge with
the participants on different power sharing models.
- Provide proposals presented
by different parties and groups in Sri Lanka as a solution to
the on going conflict.
- Create space in the
Nirmani magazine to generate discussions on these topics.
- Encourage women to
make decisions connected to these issues based on a clear understanding.
- Encourage women to
actively engage on issues connected to Peace in Sri Lanka.
- Encourage women leaders
to be proactive on issues connected to peace as well as other
socioeconomic arenas
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