Celebrating International Women’s Day

The Foundation of Goodness celebrated International Women’s Day which fell on the 8th of March with special programmes to recognize the true power of women.

Through our programmes, not only do we have the good fortune to help empower countless women in their journey to success and self-actualization, we are able to do so with the team of strong and determined ladies who are part of our FoG team, working hard every day to develop local communities.

FoG’s ethos of equal opportunity to all, regardless of age, gender, religion or language means that our programmes are delivered to anyone who needs the opportunity, regardless of gender and this has seen many rural women breaking through traditional divides and social norms to enter into vocations that were previously seen as predominantly male.

We were delighted to graduate three female electricians who obliterate the gender divide by claiming the profession as their own, and Manuja, our first female diver who overcame her traumas from the tsunami devastation as well as the social expectations of what a woman should do when she embraced diving, later migrating to the Abu Dhabi as a lifeguard. We are also proud to have produced Yasoda Mendis, the opening batswoman for the National Ladies Cricket Team from our Sports Academy.

FoG introduced the Women’s Enterprise & Empowerment Centre in 2007 to ensure that rural women had the opportunity to receive vocational training to enter the job market or launch cottage industries which would give them an opportunity to participate in the economy and earn an income for their family as well as for their own independence.

In addition to the many courses offered by the Women’s Enterprise Centre, the Foundation of Goodness offers a wider variety of programmes such as micro-finance, community psycho-social support and business skills development which help the ladies of the region to take control of their lives.

Setting the best example are the ladies of FoG who work in all capacities from teachers, team leaders, programme organizers and coordinators, sector heads, managers and in administrative roles proving that whether in the field, home or office women can take control and make the key decisions regarding their own lives.

The Women’s Enterprise & Empowerment Centre along with the Community Psycho-social Unit organised a special seminar and educational session for the FoG staff and students from the Women’s Enterprise courses. Special Invitee Dr. Ramani Rathnaweera from the Karapitiya Hospital gave a special speech about women’s health and wellbeing and the CPU team had an engaging and educational discussion about women’s mental health and the challenges of occupying both public and private spaces.

Here at FoG, we continue our commitment towards empowering women across a wide cross section, all the way from school level by giving them educational opportunities up to and beyond their entry into adult life and the workplace through support, training and more.

15th March 2016