Empowerment of Women Affected by the Tsunami

Economic, Social & Political Empowerment of Women Affected by the Tsunami

Country: Sri Lanka

Partner: Kantha Shakthi

Funding source: Melbourne Community Foundation (Morawetz Social Justice Fund)

Issue: The 2004 Tsunami that swept 80% of the coastal area of Sri Lanka killed 45,000 people and displaced up to 800,000 people. Women were particularly affected, their livelihood and everything they had saved including their homes destroyed. Women in tsunami-affected areas continue to rebuild their lives and livelihoods while taking care of their families with small incomes and limited voices in decision-making at all levels in society.

Outline: Kantha Shakthi supports and empowers women to overcome discrimination and oppression and to challenge patriarchal power structure. They aim to create a society free from violence against women where women and men respect each other. Kantha Shakthi works in the tsunami-affected south to mobilise women into savings and support groups, and to take up the challenges faced by women in their daily life.

Impact: There are 568 women members in three project areas with access to credit and training for small businesses, and social and emotional support. Research was conducted with 485 women members to identify support required to achieve full economic independence. As a result 80 women from these small groups participated in Select Your Business training and 80 women participated in the follow up program Generate Your Business. In three project locations women are working to create sustainability of the activities beyond the period of project funding.

This project also promotes women’s civil and political participation, women’s safety and security.

“We were known as wives of those who grow Brinjal, or the Meson’s wives, we did not have paid jobs. We appreciate the opportunity we got through this training to move a step ahead from where we are” – Ashoka Damayanthi, Ranna

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