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| Sunday, 22 June 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Lanka Mahila Samiti - still leading the way for rural women by Carol Aloysius
On October 8, 1928, an article titled" Women's Institutes" appeared in The Ceylon Morning Leader. The article which underlined the role that such institutes could play in the welfare of rural women particularly caught the eye of an active social worker, Mary Rutnam. So impressed was she with its contents, that she made it the subject of her keynote address at the All Ceylon Conference of social workers, held one year later. Her speech led to the formation of a Central Board of Women's Institutes, a representative body comprising most of the existing women's organisations in the country. This in turn led to the setting up of the Mahila Samiti in Sri Lanka in 1932, modelled on the lines of similar institutes in India and whose name was inspired by the Sanskrit name used in Bengal. Inaugurated at Pannipitiya with just 41 members from 12 villages, this pioneer women's association has become one of the largest rural women's organisation in Sri Lanka with over 4500 rural branches registered with the Parent Association in over 16 districts in seven provinces of the country.
The samitis, which are grouped under 32 unions (Sangam) for administrative purposes, have been responsible for several innovative programs aimed primarily at educating,and empowering rural women in Sri Lanka and helping them to improve their quality of life. These activities include ; training programs in vocational skills, health and nutrition education. The training programs which are conducted usually at the main training centre at Kaduwela gives young women skills in agriculture and horticulture, in making cement blocks, flower making, sewing, handloom weaving, patchwork, as well as making utility and ornamental products out of rush and reed. "Our workers are mostly volunteers from various villages and our aim is to both educate rural women in healthy living and encourage them to earn independent incomes that could supplement their family incomes", says Mrs Ranee Herath, the President of the Lanka Mahila Samiti. A visit to the Kaduwela Training Centre recently gave this writer an insight into the kind of training these young rural girls receive. There were some thirty girls attending the ten day residential training program when we arrived there in the company of Mrs Herath. In a shed at the corner of the garden,a few of them were being initiated into the seemingly simple yet complex art of handloom weaving. We watched as their instructor Anula Matharachchi, showed her young trainees to wind thread of different colours to a bobbin fixed on a wooden machine, and then spin them into yarn before weaving them into fabrics. Seela Menike another instructress then demonstrated how the coloured threads were woven into cloth. "To make one of these bedspreads", she explained, unravelling a completed bedsheet with a beautiful peacock emblem, "it will take one of these girls around four to five days depending on the size and design. The work is not easy but the completed product always gives the weaver a sense of satisfaction and joy".
Mrs Herath escorts us to a room inside the training centre where several classes were being conducted simultaneously. On one side a class on soft toys was being conducted to an enthusiastic group of young girls, by a former trainee. In the centre of the room a sewing class and patchwork making class was being held. At the extreme end of the room a lesson in making baskets and other utility items out of vatakeiya and thalkola was in progress. We stopped at the latter and asked the instructor to explain how the products were made. R.A. Karuna , who incidentally was one of the first trainees to be enroled at the Kaduwela Training Centre several years ago, and has since devoted her time to teaching other trainees at the same centre, was only too eager to oblige. She showed us how the thal kola brought from a nearby village, had to be first cleaned, boiled and even ironed before the leaves were shred according to the size required for a particular product. . Our final tour was of the Pre-school Care Centre at the side entrance to the Training Centre. We could hear the sound of children's voices at play and when we entered. They continued to work with their educational aids donated by a charity organisation Hope for children, quietly under the careful supervision of their teacher Hema Ranjini, herself a former trainee, who now trains three others. We were also pleasantly surprised to discover a Day Care centre housed in the same building. The youngest inmate we were told was just six months old. A. Nandawathi who has served at the centre for the past forty years and runs it herself, was one of the first trainees to receive a training in day care under the Mahila Samithi training program at Kaduwela. "I give them a hands - on - training which is more effective than just theoretical lessons," she tells us. Today the Lanka Mahila Samiti has over 65 day care centres in addition to nursery schools islandwide. These day care centres are run with the assistance of the Dept. of Probation and Child Care services. Working mothers leave their children from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the day care centre and the 'Palikas' in charge look after them. The noon meals are provided by the Department of Probation and child care services while the parents also contribute to the needs of the children. The Nursery schools ( 42 in all ) which are run by parents in the area with the help of the 'Palikas' who are trained by the Lanka Mahila Training centre at Kaduwela. Once their training is completed, I wondered what this latest batch of trainees planned to do with their newly acquired skills. Inoka Karuna self taught tailor who was already earning an extra income undertaking sewing orders in her village at Embilipitiya, says she will be able to do a better job now that she has some scientific knowledge of the art. Hiranthika, 21 would like to grow mushrooms in her village, while Sandrini Pushpa wants to make soft toys and later learn beauty culture to set up her own salon. U.A. Nilmini who is already a pre-school teacher in her village at Matugama, is confident she can give her pupils a better service, "now that I am better equipped with new teaching skills". Recently, the Mahila Samiti Training centre at Kaduwela has introduced a Reproductive Health education program for its trainees. "We have launched this program with the help of the United Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). The project was extremely popular and for the first time included male participation as well" says a spokesperson for the Mahila Samiti. |
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