Journalism Course extended to Mannar District

The training course on Journalism conducted by Viluthu in Colombo, has been extended to Murungan in the Mannar District, on a special request from the Catholic clergy, in order to benefit the youth who are interested in journalism. This course has been inaugurated on the 17th of January where 25 young men and women participated.

The C.E.O of Viluthu, Ms. Shanthi Sachithanandam told during the inaugural sessions, that this course would be conducted over a period of six months. The Course Coordinator, Mr. A Nixon who is stationed in Colombo would travel to Mannar to conduct this course and Senior Journalists too would be invited from Colombo as resource personnel.
Mr. Nixon further told that the participants of this course will be taught, various methods of writing news, criticisms etc., on local and international politics covering the subjects of political science, economics, social science, and geography.

Rev. Fr. A. Luxtan de Silva who has made all the arrangements to conduct this course, presided over the inaugural session and delivered the keynote address. Rev. Fr. Victor Soosai and Rev. Fr. Arulraj of the Mannar Diocese, too had graced the occasion as special guests and addressed the gathering. This course would be conducted at the auditorium of the King Christ Cathedral I Murungan.

Training Courses in ‘Democracy through Journalism’ conducted by Viluthu

Viluthu has conducted this training course with the assistance of the Department of Sociology of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Colombo, four times since January 2009. Each batch of the training was conducted for a duration of 06 months and a total of 85 young men and women have benefited from these courses. The participants for these training courses were mainly selected amongst undergraduates of Universities, students of the College of Journalism, employees of Media organizations and free lance media personnel. After successful completion of these trainings 10 men and 02 women were able to secure employment with the main stream media such as Veerakesary, Thinakkural, Sudar Oli, Adatherana, Ravaya and Dan TV. In addition to this 05 women and 02 men have started a web based radio service and 03 women are employed in Irukkiram publication unit of Viluthu.

Mr. Nixon Amirthanayagam, the Media Coordinator of Viluthu and Mr. A. Robinson, Senior Lecturer attached to the University of Colombo have performed as the Course coordinator and the Course Director respectively. The Editors and Assistant Editors of the main stream media, Daily Mirror, Thinakkural, Veerakesari, Navamani and the senior journalists of other media organizations have been invited to perform as the key resource personnel.

The fourth batch of the training course has been completed recently and the concluding session was held on the 25th of June 2011 at the auditorium of Viluthu. All the students who were present were subjected to an evaluation and an opportunity was provided for them to express their views in relation to this training course. A certificate awarding ceremony was organized and held at the Sri Lanka Foundation, Colombo on the 15th of August 2011, at which Viluthu has awarded certificates for the 15 students who have passed out as Journalists. Professor M. Karunanithy of the Faculty of Education of the University of Colombo and Mr. K. A. Wimalenthirarajah, the Senior Assistant Secretary (IT) – Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour respectively.

Improving women’s access to livelihood opportunities and local services in the Post-Conflict Context of Sri Lanka.

The World Bank has awarded a consultancy to Viluthu in order to improve women’s access to livelihood opportunities and local services in the North and East. This project commenced in November 2010 and is due to be completed in May 2011.

Background to the Consultancy
Decades of conflict have imposed a heavy economic cost in the Northern and Eastern provinces and the poverty situation there is more serious than in other parts of the country. Fighting in the East during 2006-7 resulted in the displacement of about 150,000 people before the Government regained control over the Eastern Province in July 2007. Since then, the situation in the East has gradually stabilized. Almost all IDPs have returned to their homes of origin, and the local economy has been boosted by a sharp increase in paddy production following reclamation of previously un-cultivated paddy fields, and by an easing of security-related fishing restrictions. Elections for the Eastern Provincial Council, which had not taken place previously due to the conflict, were held in May 2008.

Street Theatre Performances to promote Social Accountability

Viluthu works with Local Government Institutions and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in providing knowledge and skills to use the tools for Social Accountability. This is accomplished through provision of training, facilitating study circle discussions, and the organizing of consultations between CBOs and LAs, The general awareness raising and the building of political will for delivering a transparent and accountable governance is forged through street theatre performances.
From April to June 2011 Viluthu conducted …… performances in all four districts of Jaffna, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Puttalam. The script used was candid and forthright in exposing the 15% Commission culture of all political authorities as well as the lack of social responsibilities of the citizens. Half way through the character who comes to play the politician of a local authority even challenges the viewers goading them whether they will care enough or have courage enough to enter their own local government institutions and be willing to give time to participate in the planning , budgeting, expenditure tracking and citizens report cards.
This particular drama was appreciated widely by the audience. In Puttalam, government officers such as Grama Sevakas, the Samurdhi officers were so enamoured with this that not only requested more of these performances, but also have now formed a study circle within the Puttalam DS Divisional office. In Batticaloa the comments of the women would fill pages of this report. In Rithithenna village a woman grew emotional and began challenging the actor playing the politician role, that she will “act with social responsibility and will get him off the seta if he does not play fair..” During a performance in the Batticaloa Municipal Council area some employees of the MC threatened the play actors that if they depict politicians in such a bad image they will be chased off. But the people stood up for the team and firmly told the dividers off, equally threatening them. In one area a drainage canal that had not been attended to for many years has been repaired as a result of the new found enthusiasm of the people in connecting to their own local government. In Jaffna, the drama team encountered difficulties from the cadres of EPDP party. Somehow the theme was misinterpreted by them that it critiqued their leader Minister Douglas Devavanda. Finally the series of performances had to cut short.
Overall, Viluthu has been able to promote peoples’ volunteerism and significantly raise awareness on the issue of local governance.

Social Accountability

The concept of social accountability underlines both the right and the corresponding responsibility of citizens to expect and ensure that government acts in the best interest of the people. The obligation of government officials to be accountable to citizens derives from notions of citizens' rights, often enshrined in constitutions, and the broader set of human rights. Social Accountability initiatives help citizens understand their civic rights and play a proactive and responsible role in exercising those rights.
Viluthu in partnership with the Asia Foundation, has launched a project by the name “Social Accountability and Transparency’. The purpose of this project is to facilitate the participation of the Local Government and Civil society in order to promote Social Accountability tools to strengthen administrative justice in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka.

Election Fund for Women Contestants

Viluthu under the UNIFEM funded Project, has provided necessary support and guidance to the 24 women who contested in the recent Local Government Elections in the Trincomalee district through the initiative of few NGOs who were willing to support women in politics. As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, the entry of women into politics is as difficult as pushing a camel through the eye of a needle. However the women have overcome many hurdles such as non-supportiveness of the political parties, financial constraints, political violence, the general attitude of the people questioning the ability of women as ‘what the women can do in politics?’ and courageously contested for the very first time in the Local Government Elections this year in the districts of North and East. Though the women who contested in the last elections have not been successful, the very fact that women from all three ethnic communities are prepared to contest in the elections in future, is a step forward and remarkable achievement for Viluthu.

When all the women contestants got together and reviewed their experiences recently, the major impediment identified is the financial constraint which affected all of them. It was estimated that each of the contestants should have at least Rupees 250,000 to spend at a Local Government Election. Though everyone’s expectation is that a democratic process need to be brought in and the poor people should be given the opportunity, overcoming this financial constraint remains a major challenge. Viluthu has provided very little financial support for the 24 women who contested the recent elections in the Trincomalee district. But many had spent from their own savings and loans from financial institutions, for their election campaigning.

In this context Viluthu has come forward to start a process within the community based organizations to support the CBOs which wish to help the women contestants in their respective regions by generating an ‘Election Fund’. Viluthu, a registered organization, would open-up an account with its bank. This account would solely operate from the financial support from the CBOs and administered by representatives of these CBOs.

We humbly request such CBOs to contribute at least Rs. 50/- a month. The fund’s remittances by these CBOs would be regularly published in the quarterly journal ‘Thalaivi’ of Viluthu. Therefore we request all individuals, CBOs and other institutions to support this noble course where women from all three ethnic communities committed to fight for justice should be politically empowered. Your financial contributions could be credited to the Bank account specified hereunder.

Commercial Bank (Wellawatte Branch), Account Number: 1100022753,