Australia celebrates International Women’s Day

The occasion of International Women’s Day is a day on which women around the world reflect on the struggle for equality, justice, peace and development, as well as recognising the important contribution that women make to daily life.
In Sri Lanka, the Australian High Commission has been working to ensure that AusAID’s programs assist women around the country. Australia has worked with CARE, OXFAM (GB) and Power Foundation to implement projects in the plantation sector. CARE, through Community Development Forums (CDF) is working to uplift socio-economic conditions of plantation workers with the objective of addressing the root causes of poverty, marginalization and social injustice in the plantation community. CARE has constructed a number of rest rooms especially for women to have their meals, make a cup of tea and pregnant ladies and mothers to rest or feed their babies, before this facility was provided such plantation women had to have their meals under trees even in rainy weather.
An Australian funded project with OXFAM (GB) and Power Foundation also in the plantation sector provides financial, education and social support to uplift the living standards of communities. Mostly women were supported through microfinance programs to commence additional income avenues. Project also launched a program to promote education facilities among young girls in the plantations.
In Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Matale, Monaragala and Puttalam districts AusAID funded the Sri Lanka Australia Natural Resource Management Project. The project supported implementation of home gardens with local resources like lime, cashew, and bee’s honey, microfinance schemes, micro enterprise development programs and promotes water resources for household requirements; previously women had to walk miles to obtain water. This project provides opportunities for income generation, rural development, family nutrition and also health and sanitation.
In Mannar, Vavuniya and the Eastern Province AusAID is working with UNDP on peace building initiatives. Project involves community rehabilitation, micro finance and sports for peace component targeted at women to involve them in the peace process.
International Women’s Day will be recognised around Australia with awards presented to women who have made particular contributions. Despite making many steps towards equality over the last century, there is recognition that there is some way to go in achieving equality for women in Australia and around the world.