The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) and the Mobility International USA (MIUSA) jointly implemented the Regional WILD (Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability) Asia 2018 in Colombo. The eight-day interactive workshop unfolding from 23rd to 30th May, was a first of its kind to be initiated by MIUSA in Asia.
A US-based non-profit organization, MIUSA is committed to empower people with disabilities around the world to achieve their human rights through international exchange and international development. MIUSA’s training sessions are fashioned to prepare people with disabilities to take leadership in advocating for inclusion across a wide range of sectors, including education, employment, micro enterprise, violence prevention, access to health care, technology and policy making.
The Colombo workshop brought together 15 women participants with diverse disabilities. three local participants joined representatives from China, India and Nepal. The participants were selected through an ‘open application’ process and reviewed by a panel. The eight-day programme, as the Manager of the Disability Network, EFC, and the local trainer for the WILD Asia, Manique Gunaratne affirms, is envisioned to be a ‘holistic’ exercise where the participants exchanged their experiences, and explore strategies to become catalysts of inclusiveness and change. “The main objective of WILD- Asia is to empower the delegates to become agents of change, by empowering them to give leadership to those with disabilities at the grass root level,” notes Ms. Gunaratne.
The workshop which was also a celebration of diversity and mutual learning and sharing brought under the spotlight the expertise of the participants in areas such as education, gender equality, economic empowerment, reproductive health and policy change. The workshop was also in tune with the EFC’s vision of promoting social harmony through productive employment. The EFC which is the national employers’ organization in Sri Lanka and the employer constituent for Sri Lanka in the ILO through its membership of employers drawn from a multitude sectors currently employs approximately 800,000 persons in the formal sector.
“The EFC’s Network on Disability and its disability resource center have received global accolades as an exemplary model. The ILO Global Global Business Disability Network has consistently highlighted the achievements of the network and its managing officer, Manique Gunaratne. The Network serves as a link between the business community and the organizations dealing with disability issues to facilitate mainstreaming its work,” remarks EFC’s Director General, Kanishka Weerasinghe.
MIUSA CEO, Susan Sygall in a press statement, surmises: “MIUSA is honoured to host our first regional WILD in Sri Lanka, bringing together disabled women activists from this region who are passionate to strengthen their leadership skills and work for greater inclusion of women and girls with disabilities. Women with disabilities need to be recognized as leaders in both humanitarian and development efforts in this region and throughout the world.”
The Regional WILD training also featured the launch of MIUSA’s photo exhibition, themed Brilliant & Resilient: Celebrating the Power of Disabled Women Activists. The international traveling exhibition featured portraits and vignettes of 30 women activists with disabilities from around the world. The WILD program was made possible by the support of Channel Foundation and MIUSA’s Women’s Leadership Fund.
Picture descriptions for vision impaired persons:
1 Group photograph.
2 Participants.
Manique Gunaratne
Blog: http://efcnetworkondisability.employers.lk/
