Volunteers at WDC

A Valuable Experience - Sri Lanka by Sharona Otten

I'm very grateful to madam for having founded this place for all the girls and women who need a fine and safe place to live; some girls for a short time, other girls for a longer time. There are sad stories behind the girls. WDC is a place where they can clear their minds.

Sir Ivan is one of the staff members who offers many different activities to the girls three times a week and I'm glad that I could help Ivan. He sings with them, plays drama and plays many different games. These are things that make the girls feel happy. To see them happy, made me happy as well.

There are many other staff members who do hand work classes, cookery lessons, counseling and taking care of them 24 hours a day. Wow, they are all doing a very good job!

Besides helping Ivan, I did creative activities with the girls to develop their creativity and social-emotional development. We made flowers, we made bracelets, we baked muffins, we made beautiful things of clay, we made drawings and we painted the library, which was so much fun! When I went back to Holland, I gave everybody a painting picture of themselves, what they liked very much!

After a few weeks, this place felt like home to me. I spent time with the girls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I learned some Sinhala from them; we played the board game Carrom (and I lost always). We celebrated Christmas and New Year together with candles and fireworks; we watched Sri Lankan television (Sinhala programs); we drank tea together, they taught me how to eat with my hands. We came up with a new game called "Mosquito Fight"(and I was the biggest mosquito of course); we laughed a lot and I think the most important thing: I gave them my love and they gave me their love...

I had a wonderful time with these beautiful girls. Just being together was so nice. I miss them. This experience has touched my heart. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be with these girls so close. I hope to come back to this beautiful place soon.

Ayubowan!

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Volunteer Experience by Gabby Ansems

Ever since I was young I wanted to travel overseas and do voluntary work, so I could have a chance to experience other cultures. This year I was given the opportunity to make my dream come true in March 2013, when I was chosen to volunteer for 3 months at the WDC.

I was chosen by an organization called challenges Worldwide, to work as a volunteer physiotherapy trainer within the CBR section of the WDC because I work alongside physiotherapists in my job and I also have developed a lot of training in the past. The position was also supported by the Church of Scotland. Prior to leaving I spoke to the late Pearl Stephens on the telephone to ensure she was happy for me to come over. She described the organization briefly but said that the best thing to do would be to see it for myself.

I felt a little nervous arriving in a strange country without really knowing what to expect but Pearl was so correct when she said words couldn't describe the kind of experience I would have. It was a trip of lifetime for me. I was living away from my husband alone in a new country where I didn't speak the language, but from the very moment I arrived I felt welcome. Even though everyone had a full caseload they were always willing to assist me if I had a question or needed assistance in my role. The staff with strong English skills were vital to allowing me to develop my training sessions and deliver them too.

The other part of my time in Kandy involved trying to immerse myself as much as i could in Sri Lankan culture and learn all about all aspects of the WDC. I was lucky enough to be involved in some new year celebrations at the WDC as well as other festive occasions during my visit. My favourite sessions were usually to do with food as that is one of my main passions. I became a little more competent at eating rice and curry with my hands by the time I left and I learned to make some different typical dishes including dhal, pickles, curries, and string hoppers.

I was touched by the amazing work that everyone at the WDC does for communities in need all around Sri Lanka and how passionate everyone is about helping others. I spent countless hours talking to Mrs. Stephen about her life and how she developed the WDC, with the help of her staff, over the years. It amazed me that the vision of one woman could be so strong and have such foresight into areas of need in the community and the amazing generosity that Mrs. Stephen had.

She made me feel like part of the family from the very first day I arrived and I was devastated when I heard about her passing. I will never forget my time at the WDC or all the friends I made there. I will continue to follow the development of the organization keenly and support their vital work in any way I can.

The Final Message Prepared by Ms. Pearl Stephen Before her Demise

Another year has swiftly gone by! Looking back at the events, so many staff left the WDC and some have replaced the vacant position. Life at the shelter gives hope and courage to many women who never thought they can restart their life, new referrals continue to pour in and fill the shelter, and the ages of victims getting younger! The shelter continues its work in taking care of many girls who are downhearted and deceived, full of grudge, hatred and pain. But it is also a joy to see those who revisit the shelter calling it as their home even though they have moved on in life. Some even come forward to help others who have gone through the same experience and support us in many other ways.

We have many volunteers and well-wishers who have come forward to help us in kind during the past year. Volunteers who worked with us have been a great help in many ways. Local donations have helped us to supplement our income. Foreign funding continues to decrease at a rapid pace for Sri Lanka, which in turn affects WDC's work in bringing hope and justice to many families. Water for the shelter is costing a large sum and we have to find financial sources somehow to cope with the need as it is the most basic necessity for our shelter. We handle the largest number of teenage pregnancies in the country which involves transport for regular check-up at hospital and for court hearings; cost for transport keep increasing with the increase of fuel prices.

A Special thanks to the Rotary Club of Kandy and Katugastota for stepping in and reconstructing and renovating one of the buildings and providing equipment, as the facilities at the shelter is very limited to house these women and children.

I also like to thank Mrs. P. A. Weerapana, for her contribution as the Deputy Coordinator of WDC. We certainly will miss her, and wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

A special thank you to all our funders, well-wishers and friends for all their support and cotributions, and wishing you all a very blessed new year.

May God Bless you all.

Pearl Stephen

Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean and the beauteous land... 

SMALL THINGS CAN MAKE BIG CHANGES

Gigantic rivers start as tiny water springs. Similarly small initiatives can make big changes. It is remarkable to see a small group of women growing into a women's forum and further into an organization that provides services and work similar to WDC among their communities.Several services offered by non-governmental organizations are long lasting.

Today we see many people reap the benefits of the seeds sown by our organization, and I believe that we can raise our vision by sowing seeds of our work through the wide world. Now our country is involved in building up in a post war situation. Fifteen years ago we commenced our mission to facilitate measures to overcome challenges faced by women and children burdened by war. As a result the women's fora in Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Rajarata, Akkaraipattu, Kalmunai have developed into active organizations that serve women and children of their communities during war ridden circumstances or any other situation. Now they extend their services to others and not only to women and children.

The prevention of Violence against women project conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund - UNFPA has helped us to address a range of problems faced by these communities. During the past three months we have been able to facilitate the issue of various legal documents which were lost during the war. In Vavuniya and Batticaloa districts 500 persons received Birth Certificates, 300 individuals obtained National Identity Cards and some others received Death Certificates for their family members who were lost due to the war. Marriage Certificates and Deeds for properties also were issued to people. We conducted a similar program for the plantation community in the Nuwara-eliya district.
Sustainable peace can be attained only by establishing an environment to promote trust and respect among all ethnic groups within communities. For this purpose we did not distribute survey reports, booklets and such material. What we at WDC did was, strategize what we identified. Now, we see results of this effort. In 2004, the "Peace through Food Culture" exhibition and trade fair concept has helped women affiliated to WDC groups share and appreciate diverse food patterns and preparations of other ethnicities or cultures. For these women the predicted global food crisis will not be as bleak because they have learnt to use indigenous food items as well as adapt to different preparations. Home Gardening has been advocated in all women's forum areas with training and knowledge provided to the women.

HIV/AIDS is not a terrifying threat in Sri Lanka right now but it appears like an iceberg. WDC commenced the prevention of HIV/AIDS program in 1998 and we can consider our small efforts have contributed to a vast national mission to minimize the threat of HIV/AIDS in Sri Lanka. It is evident in the program we conduct for commercial sex workers, where we have formed a women's group for them. Awareness on personal hygiene, importance of medical examinations, sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as well as alternative income generation prospects with skills training are provided to these women at monthly meetings at the STD clinic Kandy. A modest exercise, yet until now none of these women have tested positive for HIV. Some have abandoned the profession and engage in other income generation prospects such as fruit sales, making rugs, candles, or incense sticks.

It has been possible to improve the standard of living of women at the grassroots through simple interventions in our empowerment program. It is our accomplishment when such women have received recognition or awards from the government or other non-governmental organizations.
So, Change is possible - we can - this is apparent in what we discussed above.

W L A D Chandrathilaka
Deputy Coordinator
WDC

Kantha Mela - International Womens day celebration March 13, 2013

Kantha Mela was celebrated on Wednesday, March 14th, 2013 at the Kandy Cultural Centre.

The annual event celebrates International Women's Day with the  the network of women's organsations linked to the Women's Development Centre (WDC). It provides all sections of the WDC (Community Development (CD), community based rehabilitation (CBR), crisis intervention and ) an opportunity to come together with the community.

There were 322 participants at the event including the members from 9 forums; Ampara, Batticaloa, Hanguranketha, Rajarata, Akkarapatta, Kalmunai, Matale, Varuniya and Kandy.  The majority of the participants were Network of Women(NOW) members. The chief guests who brightened up the event were, Ms. Shirani Weerakoon - Secretary, Ministry of Health, Indigenous Medicine, Social Welfare, Probation and Child Care Services and Ms. Kumuduni S. Premachandra - Commissioner, Department of Social Welfare, Probation and Child Care Service Affairs. In addition, many well wishers of WDC also contributed to make this event a success by their valuable participation.

During the day there were a numerous offerings presented. All members of the forums were given the opportunity to perform and there were a number of cultural-based performances addressing gender-based violence issues. The children of the Haragama crisis centre were a highlight of the show, delivering bright, lively dance performances, that were enjoyed thoroughly by everyone in attendance. It is a major achievement for these girls to perform in front of such a  large crowd, but in succeeding, helps them overcome some of their fears initiated originally through gender-based violence against them.

In addition to the cultural performances there was an exhibition and sale of products from a variety of the forum members and Apitiya VTC products were also on sale.

Finally there were appreciation certificates given for all the NOW members in recognition for their service.

Overall, the day was a huge success and we thank everyone who was involved.

Annual Concert of the CBR Program

Even though people have categorized themselves by religion, caste, class, etc. still there are universal languages that could entertain all of us, no matter which group we represent. Dancing, music are such universal languages that we enjoy in common as human beings. Considering the joy that all people share through entertainment, the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program of Women’s Development Centre will be organizing its annual concert, showcasing the talents of disabled children, celebrating International Day of Disabled Persons.

                The concert will take place at Kandy Cultural Centre on 04^th of December 2012 from 9.30 am onwards. This is the 22^nd concert organized by CBR program and even though most of the earlier programs included only the concert, this time, a special awareness program on disability will be held in order to make the public aware of different types of disability.

                Your participation in this program will add a great value as well as a pleasure for both the children presenting their talents and the organizers. Therefore, we hope you will be there being a strength for all of us!

Celebrating Universal Children’s Day with an Arts Exhibition

Disabled children also have a right to enjoy the beauty of the world despite the challenges they face in their day-to-day lives. If they are trained well they gain the ability to improve their skills just like the other children do. The Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program of Women’s Development Centre is dedicated to offering such  services to disabled children. 

In celebration of Universal Children’s Day, Women’s Development Centre (WDC) held a special arts exhibition in the main hall of the CBR section of our headquarters on the 01^st October, 2012. 146 children with different disabilities, from our 9 CBR centers, presented their talents in this arts exhibition under the theme ‘Ape lama lokaya’ (Children’s world).  

The panel of judges from Pentium pastels selected the best three paintings that were exhibited in this event. The prizes and the certificates of the winners as well as the participants were sponsored by ESOFT institution in Kandy. 

The parents as well as the guests of the exhibition were surprised to see the talents of the children. In addition, the children who study at special units in different schools as well as the parents of these children were able to improve their knowledge on different aspects of disability after participating in this exhibition. The talents of all the children who presented their paintings at the Arts Exhibition were highly appreciated by the guests who visited this event.

TRADITIONAL FOLK GAMES FOR THE UNIVERSAL CHILDREN’S DAY

Ulapane Maha Vidyalaya, under the guidance of Women’s Development Centre (WDC), organized a festival of traditional folk games with the participation of 330 students at the school's premises. The festival of traditional folk games was organized on 1^st of October, 2012 celebrating Universal Children’s day. 

Ulapane Maha Vidyalaya was introduced to WDC by the department of Education as a problematic school that needed facilitation and guidance. Thus, WDC, with the support of the Shining Life Child Trust (SLCT),  started to play the role of a facilitator in upgrading the standard of the school through a variety of projects. The special education unit of Ulapane Maha Vidyalaya is also run by WDC. 

It is a known fact that due to the mechanization of the society, children of today have greater access to technology and they tend to focus more on computer games and video games rather than traditional forms of play. This has taken away their creativity, thinking capacity and has promoted selfishness, individuality and lack of collectivity.

Focusing on all these aspects, Women’s Development Centre guided Ulapane Maha Vidyalaya to encourage children to play traditional folk games throughout Universal Children’s Day. The event was successful as the children enjoyed it and learnt the importance of playing such games almost for the first time in their lives.

Most of the children were ignorant about these games at the beginning of the festival but under the instructions of the teachers, they got used to all the games within a short time period and enjoyed playing 10 traditional folk games including “Eluwan Kaama, Thachchu paneema, onchili waram”, etc.

The objectives behind encouraging the children to play these games were to teach them the importance of collective effort rather than individuality, the strength of working as a group, truthfulness, helping the fellow members in the times of threat, facing challenges in life, knowledge about traditional currency and traditional words.

Furthermore, it was identified by WDC that rather than talking about children only on Universal Children’s day, it is more important to teach them something practical, which they would remember throughout their lives. Therefore, playing traditional games, building relationships with each other was recognized by WDC as a significant aspect.

In addition, by making them engage in these traditional folk games, it was also expected to make them free from discrimination including gender bias, ethnic and age discrimination. In a time where children try to engage in violent games such as shooting, hitting, killing through video games, WDC identified the importance of introducing the traditional folk games for the community through which the relationships between adults were expected to be enriched through the intervention of children.