2006-05-15T21:01:00.000+02:00

She is working as Advocacy and Campaign Manager for Leonard Ceshire International in Sri Lanka. The organisation operates a 5 y comprehensive programme for PWDs. The programme includes advocacy, lobbying for legal rights, economic empowerment, livelihoods, inclusive education, and accessibility. Thanuja's responsibilities include: • Lobbying work. • To interact and liaise with government officials, in order to make specific adjustments in the already existing structures to include persons with disabilities. • To sensitise government officials on disability issues. • To design methods to raise awareness and understanding within the general public on disability issues, and to reduce the negative attitudes. The biggest challenges she is facing presently are: • The local disability movement being too weak to take up a rights based approach in dealing with issues of disability and the divisions within the movement and not having proper leadership. • The lethargy, ignorance and carelessness of government officials in attending to disability issues. The negative attitudes,relegious beleifs and social stigma prevalent in the society. she is also actively involved in Politics and Social Work. She was employed at the Ministry of Plantation Industries in Sri Lanka as the Secretary to the Deputy Minister who is the son of former opposition leader and son-in-law of present deputy leader of opposition.

Thanuja Navaratne