"IRI Final Summit
The aim of the project was to build the capacity and train 90 women of the Central Province to run for political office. AWAW together with IRI successfully completed a series of workshops within the three districts (Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya) of the Central Province to train 90 women to run for political office. This project culminated with the last summit being held on the 8th and 9th of December, just before an upcoming election. This was very important and timely because the elections were for the Central Provincial Council and three of the trained women are hoping to contest that election. AWAW conducted an advocacy campaign to United National Party head Quarters and Sri Lankan parliament on 09th of October 2008, taking 55 women to advocate for a 33% quota for women in nominations list of all political parties at all levels of offices. During this advocacy campaign they were able to meet the head of the Parliament select committee on electoral reforms and more than 30 elected officials and hand over letters to that effect.


AWAW conducted a press conference to inform the public regarding their advocacy visit to the parliament and the demand for 33% quota for women representation. This was conducted on the 28th of October 2008.
This project resulted in the building of capacity, knowledge and motivation of the women of the Central Province to achieve their goals, as a united group











AWAW was able to partner with National Endowment for Democracy to train 500 women from 10 selected districts. The first disbursement of funds to the trainers were held at the Queens Hotel Kandy on the 27th of November 2008





Training women to run for political Office Implementing UN resolution 1325

The project of training of trainers one each from the 25 districts on women’s political participation, a collaborative project with Philadelphia based Women’s Campaign International was successfully concluded on completing the two workshops of preparing the resource packs on 25th 26th and 27th of August 2008.
The training of trainers was done through 5 workshops one for each month starting from January 2008 on the subjects,

1. Advocacy and Lobbying.
2. Media and Public Speaking.
3. Knowing your governance structures, SL Constitution, 13th and 17th amendments and local government act.
4. Writing a project proposal and preparing a budget.
5. Building coalitions and net working

These women came together to build a coalition and named it “TEAM 1325” because all of them are working on implementing UN resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.





Workshop on UNSCR 1325, 1820 conflict resolution and peace building

A five day workshop on UN resolution 1325, 1820 together with conflict transformation and peace building was conducted by Ms. Sanam Anderlini of DC based ICAN and Karuna Center Director Dr. Paula Green for the TEAM 1325 on 25th 26th 27th 28th and 29th of September 2008







Introducing “TEAM 1325”

Introducing the “TEAM 1325” and launching their web site was done in Colombo at the Bay Leaf Restaurant, on the 30th of September 2008, the gathering was well attended by Ministers, parliament members and women politicians of all levels as well from the civil society.

www.team1325sl.org

Workshops to select the 50 participants who will be trained to run for political office

AWAW has begun a new project to select 50 women from each district in order to train them to run for political office. So far three workshops was conducted in Puttalama on 29th of July, Buttla on the 23rd of August and Colombo on the 26th of October through generous funding of the Swiss Embassy Colombo.





As resource person at ASPR

AWAW chair was in Stadschlaining, Austria at the Austrian Study Center for Peace & conflict Resolution (ASPR) being the resource person for their special course on “Women and Armed Conflict” on Gender Specific dimension to conflict transformation, Gender Dimensions in DDR and Sri Lankan Case Study on 19th and 20th of October 2008.



An Exploration of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices: Women and Conflict

This joint project with WUSK – WDP is carried out to look into the capacity of peace building among the grass root women. We have selected 6 grass roots women’s organizations two each from Matara, Galle and Kalutara districts and have conducted workshop for selected 60 women on listening skills, conflict transformation and peace building as well of Aftermath of Tsunami and their ability to cope with that disaster. They will be meeting women from Puttalm, Kanthale and Amparai to share and learn from them in the next couple of months







Training 25 women leaders as trainers’ on power sharing system of the world.

AWAW is training 25 women leaders selected from all districts as trainers on methods for women to run to political office, a joint project with women’s Campaign International these will be three day trainings of 5 in all. The first of the series on Advocacy and Lobbying was conducted very successfully from the 27th to the 30th January 2008 in Kandy















3rd training of trainers will be held in hilltop hotel Kandy. On campaigning and media a partnership project with women’s campaigns international.

Training women to run political office 27th to 29th February 2008 at Hilltop hotel kandy, A partnership project with Women’s Campaign International.





















Power sharing and constitution making in South Africa.

Workshop for Sri Lanka women politicians. 27 April – 3 may 2008 Cape Town South Africa. Organized by faculty of law university of Cape Town with Association of War Affected Women and the generous sponsorship of Royal Norwegian Government.