Athwela Sahana Piyasa is a centre for women and children based in the Ibbagamuwa Division of the Kurunegala District. This is a Grassrooted initiative in partnership with Women’s Development Foundation, a rural feminist organization, and Devasarana Development Centre, the development arm of the Devasarana community, that has supported local communities in Ibbagamuwa since the 1950s.

Since May 2023, the Athwela Centre is based in the unique Devasarana space; a green lung along the Kurunegala-Dambulla main road at the 6th Mile Post. We currently offer services that include emergency shelter and relocation; the spectrum of legal and psycho-social support for survivors of violence in partnership Child Protection Force; education interventions on child protection, sexual and reproductive health, prevention of gender-based and intimate partner violence, including cyber exploitation.

The evolving response by Athwela Sahana Piyasa has necessitated that the Athwela Partnership reimagine our approach to supporting survivors of violence by framing a holistic response. This includes strengthening our relationship with local police divisions, the growing of the Athwela Huwamaru Pola [Bartering Market] into the Athwela Marketplace, setting up of the Athwela Sayanaya for children with special needs, and the Athwela Nirmana Kavaya – an arts-based approach with children and young people focusing on social emotional learning and building environmental consciousness.

Athwela’s Mindful Menstruation intervention remains the backbone of our community response. Mindful Menstruation uses menstrual hygiene as the entry point to discuss wider sexual and reproductive health issues, the prevention of gender-based and intimate partner violence, and the value of maintaining good mental health.

Period poverty being the underlying reality, our distribution of the sanitary napkins during the COVID19 pandemic in 2021, and the economic crisis of 2022, along with best practice approaches to reusable cloth sanitary napkins, and the discussion around the period cup, was augmented in January 2023 by the introduction of the bio-degradable FDA approved Lily sanitary napkin.

In July 2023 we began the research and development phase for a reusable homemade cloth napkin. Those working on this product include women from our communities, some of whom will be on the team that tests the product. The model being developed is to ensure that women and girls in Ibbagamuwa will be self-sufficient in the production of their own sanitary napkins.