Founding member of US-based 'NOWWOW' Suba Suntharalingam on helping Sri Lankan widows

warzonewomen
Aug 20, 2015
2 min read

What is the aim of your organization? Talk about your role in particular.

As a President and founding member of NOWWOW, I go above and beyond my duties for the single goal of uplifting our recipients. I maintain strong connections with donors and other organizations to advocate for our projects and bring a steady stream of funding for our initiatives. I maintain active communication with local partners to ensure that our projects run smoothly. Most people affected in the civil war in Sri Lanka are widows who are now breadwinners of single mother families.

All our projects aim to help them.

How are women impacted differently to men in war?

The impact on women compared to men in war is universal – not unique to North and East of Sri Lanka. Traditionally in this community men were the breadwinners: women were housewives. After men died in war or were incarcerated or had disappeared, women were forced to become breadwinners. Besides, because of physical vulnerability, male domination in the military and lack of following the law, women are subjected to sexual violence more than men.

What are some of the biggest issues that Tamil women in Sri Lanka face currently?

They are forced to become bread winners after losing male members of the family like husbands, brothers and fathers due to the war. They do not have any educational training so are deprived of any sustainable income to run the family and they are vulnerable to military intimidation and thereby to prostitution.

What improvements have you seen among Tamil Women in Sri Lanka?

Women become stronger in leadership and management because of necessity.

NOWWOW mission statement:

Rehabilitation of wounded, widows, widowers and orphans of wars who have lost sustenance due to wars;
Organizing and administering self-help projects for wounded, widows, widowers as a means of income-generation and self-sustenance;
Providing for the nutritional needs infants and young children affected by war and living on a starvation diet;
Providing for the educational needs of war-affected children, such as school supplies and/or scholarships;
Functioning as a liaison between other charitable agencies, organizations and governments that are willing to provide for on the one hand, and, the poor and down-trodden living in the war-ravaged areas and in need of assistance with their living on the other hand;
Continuous monitoring of the living conditions of the general populace in the war-ravaged areas.