21/09/2026
On International Day of Peace, what does peace mean to each of us?
For some, it is the absence of conflict. For others, it is the ability to rebuild a home, earn a living, raise children with dignity, participate in decisions that affect their lives, and look towards the future without fear.
And for women who have carried families and communities through years of difficulty, peace must also mean having the opportunity to shape what comes next.
This is why the recent work in Mullaitivu has meant so much to us at Viluthu.
With the leadership of the Mullaitivu District Secretariat, particularly Arulanandam Umamaheswaran, we were able to work across all six Divisional Secretariat Divisions, bringing together Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala women in a common effort centered on livelihoods and economic participation.
What made this initiative particularly meaningful was the process behind it. We did not begin with assumptions about what women needed. We invested in understanding their realities gathering information, identifying needs, matching those needs with appropriate support, and working transparently and participatorily with the women and the State structures.
More than 130 widows and women heading households are receiving support through this effort. But 130 is not simply a number.
It represents individual women, their families, their children, their livelihoods and the wider communities that benefit when women have the means and confidence to build forward. It represents women coming together with pride in what they have achieved and optimism about what they can contribute to the future.
We are particularly grateful to Mr. A.Umamaheswaran for the leadership and willingness to push beyond boundaries and limitations so that this work could reach all six Divisions and bring women together across communities.
The giving is special when the Foundation's donors Mr. Shivananth, Mesiha and family and S.Raman were not just there to hear the problems but to share in this journey of rebuilding and success of the women.
We are also deeply grateful to Messrs Neelakandan & Neelakandan for providing the legal and registration support that has enabled the Viluthu Foundation for Women to be established with the ambition of taking this sustainable, participatory approach further across Sri Lanka and reaching the more than 150,000 widows and women heading households who we hope, over time, to support.
And to Brandsolute and our advisors, for helping us give shape to a brand and identity that carries a vision across two generations.
For Aaranya Ra and Maithreyi Rajasingam, this is more than an initiative. It is a collective effort to share, learn and create transformation.
Because peace is not only something we remember or commemorate; It is something we choose to create in the way we live, the way we relate to one another, and the future we make possible for others.
Peace is something communities build together with everyone at the table.
https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/2-700-women-headed-families-in-Mullaitivu/108-350642
