Appeal to Support a Women’s Fund
set up by the Coalition for Assisting Tsunami Affected Women (CATAW)
in Sri Lanka

Five networks of non governmental organisations with a constituent membership of 60 women's organisations, many of whom have been working on issues of women‚s rights, social justice, democracy and peace in Sri Lanka since 1989, have established a Coalition for Assisting Tsunami Affected Women (CATAW). Women of all major ethnic and religious communities are represented in the Coalition. Member organisations of the Coalition also work in all the Tsunami affected districts of the Eastern and Southern provinces and in the Jaffna peninsular.

In the past two weeks many women from the network traveled across the country to the Tsunami affected districts (Batticaloa, Hambantota, Galle, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi, Jaffna and Amparai) to support the work of women's groups and other agencies dealing with women in these areas; to distribute immediate relief needs to women and to gather information on reported incidents of gender based violence and women's specific food, shelter, resettlement and livelihood needs. We have also held discussions with representatives of women's groups working in the Tsunami affected areas to identify needs that are most urgent as well as to discuss their plans for medium and long term work in meeting the specific needs of women in the phase of reconstruction, resettlement and re habilitation.

It is of critical importance that women are represented at all levels of decision making including in policy, planning and implementation as well as monitoring, in the mechanisms that have been set up for the displaced. CATAW has been gathering information and making representation to relevant government, non-governmental and international authorities to make this possible.

The objectives of CATAW are as follows:

1. To advance the protection and promotion of women‚s rights in the processes of reconstruction and rehabilitation
2. To identify and formulate programmes which strengthen women‚s initiatives at the community level.
3. To promote the participation and inclusion of women in all processes of decision making in the reconstruction and rehabilitation process.
4. To advocate that the delivery of assistance is gender sensitive and meets the specific needs of women.
5. To strengthen capacity of women‚s groups in the tsunami affected areas.

All of the women's groups affiliated to the CATAW network have been working on issues of democracy, peace with justice and reconciliation. Through assisting the enhancement of the capacity of women's groups in the Tsunami affected areas, our long term vision is to seek a sustainable political solution to the country's ethnic conflict through rebuilding our devastated communities on principles of inclusion, democracy and respect for diversity and difference.

We will be channeling all assistance received to women's groups in the Coalition working in the Tsunami affected areas. Funds can be sent as general contributions or for designated activities.

Among the broad areas of work identified to date are:

• Training of Trainers for information gathering and identifying women at risk so that appropriate intervention can be made - two such TOTs have been held in Colombo and Polonnaruwa for women from the Southern and North Eastern districts respectively;
• Information gathering on girls and women left widowed or orphaned in the Amparai district - led by the Muslim Women's Research and Action Forum;
• Information gathering on resettlement and livelihood support needs of women in the Tsunami affected areas - for policy and programme intervention;- Suriya Women Development Center in Batticaloa have already started gathering information in this regard.
• Such information will be used to lobby policy makers to ensure the property rights of women in the context of displacement and relocation are safeguarded.
• Information gathering on incidents of violence against women reported in the areas affected by the Tsunami. The first report on Galle and Ambalangoda in the Southern province has been completed and presented to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. This information will be used for lobbying for implementation of effective safety and security measures for women;
• Infrastructure, equipment and capacity building support for women's groups in the Tsunami affected areas;

Regional women's groups and networks will be meeting in January to identify their priority areas of intervention and CATAW will support their work through its fund.

The CATAW (Women's Fund) Bank details are as follows:

Name of Bank STANDARD CHARTERED BANK
Branch RAJAGIRIYA BRANCH
Address SCB, Head Office, Fort, Colombo 1, Sri Lanka
Name of Account COALITION FOR ASSISTING TSUNAMI AFFECTED WOMEN
Account Number 01 1237314 01
Swift Code SCBLLKLX

We will be grateful if you can please help distribute this appeal.

Thank you
Sincerely,

Sepali Kottegoda Kumi Samuel
on behalf of the Coalition for Assisting Tsunami Affected Women

MEMBER ORGANISATIONS OF THE COALITON

1. Women and Media Collective, Colombo
2. Agromart Foundation, Colombo
3. Muslim Women's Research and Action Forum
4. Suriya Women's Development Centre, Batticaloa
5. Ruhuna Rural Women's Organisation, Hambatota
6. Ruk Rakaganno, Colombo
7. INFORM, Colombo
8. International Centre for Ethnic Studies - Gender Desk
9. Women's Education and Research Centre, Colombo
10. Social Scientists Association, Gender Unit
11. Women's Development Foundation, Kurunegala
12. Community Education Centre, Malabe
13. Centre for Women's Development, Jaffna
14. Eastern United Women's Front, Kantalai
15. Centre for Women‚s Research, Colombo
16. Voice of Women, Colombo
17. Kantha Shakthi, Colombo
18. Kantha Shakthi, Balangoda
19. Sri Lanka Federation of University Women
20. Sri Lanka Muslim Women‚s Conference
21. Sinhala Tamil Rural Women‚s Network, Nuwara Eliya
22. Vinivida Kantha Samajaya, Puttalam
23. Uva Wellassa Farmer Women‚s Organisation, Buttala
24. Weerya Seva Sansadaya, Rambukkana
25. Women‚s Development Centre, Kandy
26. Da Bindu Collective, Ja-Ela
27. Wilpotha Kantha Ithurum Parishramaya, Chilaw
28. Sarvodaya Women‚s Fund, Mattaka
29. Institute of Social Development, Hambantota
30. Women‚s Education and Training Institute, Kelaniya
31. Community Development Centre, Haputale
32. Coalition for Rural Development Project, Ranne
33. Govi thorathuru Madhasthanaya, Ibbagamuwa
34. Human Development Institute, Polpithigama
35. Vehilihini Development Centre, Siyambalanduwa, Moneragala
36. Community Education Centre, Malabe
37. Miyaguru Development and Cultural Centre, Mahiyangana
38. Women‚s Support Group, Colombo
39. Sinhala Kantha Abhivurdiya Sangvidanaya
40. Migrant Services Centre, Dehiwela
41. SEDEC, Colombo
42. Welcome House, Colombo
43. YMCA, Colombo
44. Good Shepherd Convent, Colombo
45. Good Shepherd Convent, Seeduwa
46. Hambantota Migrant Women‚s Organisation, Hambantota
47. Matugama Migrant Women‚s Organisation, Rambukkana
48. Migrant Women‚s Organisation, Beruwela
49. Migrant Women‚s Organisation, Galle
50. Migrant Women‚s Organisation, Kalutara
51. Relief Services Centre, Mattakuliya
52. Ruhunu Rural Women‚s Organisation, Hambantota
53. Sinhala Tamil Rural Women‚s Network, Kantalai
54. Migrant Human Rights Organisation, Muttur
55. Migrant Human Rights Organisation, Kinniya
56. Migrant Human Rights Organisation, Nilaweli
57. Centre for Protecting Migrant Rights, Kirindiwela
58. Association of War Affected Women, Kandy
59. Free Trade Zone Women‚s Collective, Katunayake
60. Deevara Kantha Samithi Sammelanaya, Negombo.

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This page was last updated on February 12, 2005

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