'Aspirations' bring together tsunami affected widows

The Ceylon Moor Ladies Union was founded in 1936 by a small group of eleven women. The first and main project was the founding and establishing of Muslim Ladies' College Colombo in 1941. Their second project, the establishment of the Ceylon Moor Ladies Union Home for Girls accomplished in 1978 and cares for abandoned, destitute, orphaned and refugee girls.

The CMLU has throughout its seventy years been very active in all fields of national and international humanitarian activities.

As part of its efforts to empower women and children in Sri Lanka, the CMLU embarked on a program to assist widows in the south and east, who were affected by the devastating Asian tsunami. The most successful aspect of the program was assistance provided to women to revive their vocations which were washed away by the catastrophe.

The CMLU proposes to take their assistance one step further by providing the opportunity to those small entrepreneurs who are 'back in business" to showcase their work and market their products.As part of its long-term "Aspirations" program, the CMLU has laid the ground work to set up a Vocational Training Centre in Katugoda, Galle to coincide with its 70th anniversary.

The center will meet the educational and training needs of children and youth, and offer welfare and assistance to women who have become the bread-winners of families affected by the tsunami. The CMLU has already purchased land in Katugoda for this purpose and are in the process of raising funds to build the centre.

The entrepreneurs assisted by CMLU include handicrafts producers and lace-maker from the south and weaving experts from the east.

Two of the entrepreneurs who received assistance from the CMLU immediately after the tsunami, progressed to clinch gold and merit awards at the recently concluded Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2005 Awards, conducted by the Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka.

Be present at this unique event on Sunday the August 6 2006 from 10:00am to 6:30pm at the CMLU Headquarters at 8, Balapokuna Road, Kirillapone Colombo 6. (Tel No 2854109 ) Help us to extend our services through "Aspirations"!