Women's Community Action Team: Connecting Villages with programme priorities
Empowering grassroots development and gender equality in Northern Sri Lanka
The Women's Community Action Team (CAT) is a vital volunteer force of women at the grassroots level, united by a common goal: to drive local development, champion gender equality, and provide essential support to survivors of gender-based violence. These dedicated teams play a crucial role in monitoring the reduction of alcohol consumption and substance use harm, making them instrumental in evaluating the effectiveness of RAHAMA's interventions.
Support & Protection
Economic Empowerment
Acting as social entrepreneur networks to help women build sustainable livelihoods and achieve financial independence by generating or increasing income.
Gaining & Sharing Knowledge
Key Achievements
The Women's Action Team in Manthai-East, Mullaitivu, demonstrated significant impact by successfully advocating for the removal of 4 illegal moonshine distilleries in their community. This action directly addresses a key area of concern related to substance abuse and its associated harms
Learnings
Through the experiences and ongoing work of the CAT, RAHAMA has learned the importance of increasing male engagement to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives and to foster long-term, community-wide changes. Engaging men as allies is crucial for deep-rooted progress.
In Action: Community Meetings
he following images capture the vibrant energy and collaborative spirit of the Women's Community Action Team during recent community meetings. These gatherings are essential for planning, strategizing, and reinforcing the vital work they undertake.
CAT members actively participating in a planning session.
Women sharing insights and concerns during a group discussion.
The programme also highlighted the importance of coordinated action between government institutions and civil society, showing how shared planning and local leadership can create meaningful impact. With continued engagement from schools, universities, youth clubs, and community groups, prevention messaging can remain active beyond a single event and become part of everyday community life.
Through the active participation of more than 550+ youth, volunteers, and stakeholders, the campaign delivered a powerful message of unity, responsibility, and hope for Northern Sri Lanka. It demonstrated that when communities stand together—speaking with one voice against alcohol, drugs, and tobacco—safer futures become possible.
Conclusion
The Women's Community Action Team is a powerful testament to the impact of grassroots mobilization. RAHAMA is proud to support these dedicated women who are making tangible differences in their communities, fostering safety, economic stability, and informed empowerment.