The International Women’s Day 2024, themed “Count Her In: Accelerating Gender Equality through Economic Empowerment,” was commemorated on March 6th at the Golden Jubilee Hall of the Chavakachcheri Urban Council.
The event was organized by Mr. P. Vageshan, Secretary to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Northern Province, aiming to promote economic opportunities for women in Northern Province.
The Chief Secretary of Northern Province, Mr. S.M. Saman Bandulasena, graced the occasion as the Special Guest.
School students, general public, social activists and people’s well-wishers attended the event as spectators.
To encourage women entrepreneurs and create market opportunities for them, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Department of Industries, the Department of Cooperative Development and the non-governmental organization Chrysalis jointly set up exhibition stalls for the products in the same premises where the ceremony took place, displaying various value-added products, and thereby providing opportunities for women entrepreneurs. These stalls remained open on both March 6th and 7th from 9:00 a.m to 7:30 p.m.
The ceremony commenced with the lighting of the traditional oil lamp, followed by a welcome dance reflecting Tamil culture, staged by Chandra Baratha Kalalayam, Ponnalai.
In succession to this, the welcome address was presented by Mrs.Rajamalligai Sivasuntharasarma, Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Northern Province, following which, Mr.P.Vageshan, Secretary to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Northern Province, delivered his keynote address, briefly narrating the history of International Women’s Day and emphasizing the significance of fostering gender equality and women’s leadership through economic empowerment.
The next session was the speech delivered by Mrs. Kosalai Mathan, Head of the Department of Law at the University of Jaffna, on “Empowering Women’s Leadership Potential through Change”. She was honoured on the stage, for her educational contributions.
Then, Dr. Mrs). Josephine Thirumahal Sivashankar, Community Medical Officer of the Provincial Department of Health Services, delivered her speech on “Parenthood” and was acknowledged on the stage for her dedicated healthcare services.
After that, Mr. S. Dharmadas, a lecturer at Sripadha National College of Education, was honoured for designing the International Women’s Day logo for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Northern Province.
The event also featured cultural performances such as the orchestra, which was gracefully conducted under the guidance of Mrs. Kavitha Vamathevan, a music teacher at J/Manipay Hindu College, Jaffna.
The civil organizations in the Northern Province, along with representatives from the women’s union of former local councils, had drafted a document addressed to the Chief Secretary and the Secretary to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs which was duly read and handed over to them on the stage. This paper explains the challenges that women face and offers feasible solutions.
As the next event, Mrs. Sundaralingam Kalaichelvi, the executive member of the Northern Province Cooperative Development Bank and a member of the Puthukkudiyiruppu Multipurpose Cooperative Society, gave a motivational speech. She was honoured on the stage.
Following this, a group dance by Mrs. Dushyanthi Sugunan, dance teacher of Uduvil Natya Kalakendra, Jaffna, was staged.
After that, the Special Guest Mr. S.M. Saman Bandulasena gave an address, highlighting the importance of creating supportive environments for women to thrive.
Three women achievers and fifteen women entrepreneurs from Northern Province, who strived to bring about changes in the society by pioneering new patterns in various fields through creative thinking and excellence, were honoured with certificates and shields, acknowledging their impactful contributions to society.
Under the theme “Economic Empowerment of Women is the Centre of Gender Equality World”, certificates and prizes were awarded to the winners in the essay and drawing competitions conducted by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Northern Province, among senior and junior school students.
The best women’s rural development societies and the best women’s cooperative development societies were awarded next.
The event showcased success stories of women beneficiaries of microfinance schemes and self-employment programmes initiated by women’s cooperatives since 2019. Notably, cheques for a total sum of ten lakh rupees were handed over to the five cooperative societies across all the districts of Northern Province, to boost women’s self-employment ventures.
Also, certificates, shields and prizes were awarded to the winners in the competitions of Best Short Film, Best Photography, Best Short Film Script Writing and Best Drawing, conducted by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Northern Province, depicting the theme “Women’s Economic Empowerment is at the heart of a Gender Equality World”.
The short film ‘Koondil Paravai’, which had been selected as the best awareness-raising film, was screened on the stage.
In closing, Mrs. K. Kanchana, Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Northern Province, extended the Vote of Thanks, marking a joyous conclusion to the event.
