About
Lankawomen.net is an effort to bring together women in Sri Lanka for a concerted campaign to improve our representation in politics. There are many women’s groups at the national level and there are many more at the grass roots level. One element that is missing at any level is networking among these groups for the all important goal of better representation for women in politics.
Lankawomen.net is an initiative to fill this gap. Currently the team leaders of lankawomen.net are Sujata Gamage and Hemanthi Gunasekera. Rita Hemapala is our media consultant. Administrative and financial support is provided by Pragati, a newly established foundation dedicated to societal progress through education and knowledge networks. Support and oversight by other women’s organizations and women leaders in politics, business and civil society will be sought as we progress.
The short term goals of the initiative are:
- Bring together women from all walks of life to lobby for women’s representation politics
- Enable Legislative initiatives that ensure women’s representation in politics
- Raise the profile of promising women candidates
- Establish lankawomen.net as a virtual meeting place for women’s representation in politics
A bill to amend the local government elections act of 1989 is likely to be presented to parliament in late May. As it is the bill has no reference to women’s representation. There is yet time to make a case but it is very short. Let us act before it is too late. This legislative initiative is our chance to make a difference.
Please email coord@lankawomen.net or call 011-497-9795 or 077-774-8470 to join the network in any number of ways:
- OBSERVER (receive email/sms alerts to keep informed)
- VOLUNTEER (donate a few hours a week to research, organize meetings, campaign, stuff envelopes or any other tasks big or small) or
- DONOR (make your contributions to Pragati foundation and mail to 12, Balcombe Place Colombo 08, Sri Lanka)
