Under the Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) Project Phase 2, funded by National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a training programme on resource mobilisation and advocacy campaigns was held in Katunayake bringing together 75 women leaders from Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya and Polonnaruwa.

The programme began with a session on the theoretical perspectives and history of resource mobilisation conducted by Dr. Manoji Harischandra, Senior Lecturer at the University of Kelaniya, where participants reflected on the implications of human resource mobilisation.

“Today, most people and organizations focus solely on financial and material resources, ignoring the creativity and potential of human skills. The value of human resources is being diminished and, as women leaders, we must work to revive and mobilise our communities,” a woman leader from Kandy pointed out. “People are driven by personal gains rather than collective progress. Mobilising people towards common goals is essential and we, as a network, have the strength to achieve it,” a participant from Monaragala said.

The second session, facilitated by Dr. Pavithra Jayawardhana Senior Lecturer at the University of Colombo, focused on the implementation of resource mobilisation theories. The session highlighted the leaders’ desire to address social issues in their communities despite the challenges they face. “Cultural and economic barriers are among the obstacles to mobilising women. We must break these barriers,” a participant from Nuwara Eliya said.

The final session, led by Ms. Gimhani Ekanayake Lecturer at the University of Kelaniya, focused on designing and implementing advocacy campaigns, a component of resource mobilisation. Participants appreciated the technical and strategic aspects they learned. “The important thing is planning. As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, your plan is to fail. We learnt how to plan and implement an advocacy campaign,” a participant from Matara said.

Beyond the learning experience, participants appreciated the opportunity to strengthen their connections across the seven districts, recognising that collective power is critical for social change. They expressed enthusiasm for more centralised trainings, emphasising that building a women's network was vital to achieving their shared goals.