Tsunami planning and response

Focusing on Gender

Gender sensitivity is an important aspect in Sewalanka Foundation’s relief and rehabilitation activities. As a result, Sewalanka is addressing nationally the following gender-related issues:

–	Increase in one-parent households due to the death of husband or wife; resulting in a financial and emotional strain on families
–	Protection issues for women and children in the camps, as there were cases of sexual harassment, rape, violence, and kidnapping of children
–	Special needs for women in terms of water and sanitation facilities, as well as establishing new livelihood opportunities if the primary income-earner has passed away.
–	Legal assistance for women to ensure their land rights are recognised and they have adequate access to justice
–	Women within communities must be adequately represented and given the opportunity to express their opinion on all aspects of the reconstruction process.

Train the Trainer program in the East.

Supporting Widows in Kinniya

Responsive to women’s increased vulnerabilities; Sewalanka Foundation Trincomalee has initiated a project in Kinniya targeting 37 Muslim women who lost their husbands in the tsunami. In addition to loss of family members, these women lost their property, possessions, personal assets and their means of livelihood. Each widow has the responsibility of caring for between four and seven children.

In accordance with their religious custom, all widows were required to stay secluded within the local mosque for a period of four months and 10 days from the date of their husband’s death. This grieving period has result in many women being unable to access support from local or international agencies.

As these widows need special attention, Sewalanka Trincomalee is providing assistance to meet their immediate needs and create new livelihood opportunities. This assistance is funded by Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in USA (UUSC).

Training and gender-audit in the east

In the east, a Train-the-Trainer (TOT) program was conducted for identified focal persons to in turn train senior management, administration staff and field officers in four districts: Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara and Monaragala. The practical training focuses on mainstreaming gender concerns by recognising existing practices of gender sensitivity, and training staff in new issues or unrecognised issues related to gender.

“Sewalanka is an organisation that is sensitive to the needs and issues of both women and men in our relief and development work. What this training provides is an opportunity to recognise and formalise our existing practices and provides practical tools for trainers and senior staff conducting gender training’, explains Ms. Kaushalya Navaratne, Women’s Empowerment Unit.

A second training will be conducted for staff in undertaking a formal gender audit of the administrative, management and project activities to determine any gender bias. This audit will then form the basis of discussion around our current Draft Sewalanka Foundation Gender Policy. These initiatives are also supported by UUSC.

Training in the south

During May 2005, Sewalanka and Concern recognised the specific needs of women post-tsunami and conducted a series of gender training workshops for 30 field staff and volunteers in the Southern and Western districts to create awareness and ensure these needs are met. The overall aims of the workshops were to ensure gender is mainstreamed into project design and women are mobilized to be active participants within the development process.

>> For further information please contact :
Ms Kaushalya Navaratne on 011) 254 5462-5