Chamindri* had 6 more months of maternity leave left. Her daughter was now just 3 months old and still needed the mother’s close attention, but Chamindri had little choice. So she woke up early, dressed herself in her white uniform and returned to her work.
Chamindri is a nurse at a state hospital, and like all pregnant mothers in the state sector, she was entitled to 3 months of paid leave, followed by 3 months of half-paid leave, and another 3 months of unpaid leave. While this would have been ideal for her and her small family of four, they had bills and loans to pay.
Her story is no exception. For the average Sri Lankan working mother, half-pay leave and no-pay leave are luxuries they cannot afford to take.
But it does not end there. Not for the nurses. Leaving her baby in the care of her elderly parents, Chamindri took care of what felt like a hundred grown men and women. Checking temperatures, checking intravenous treatments, delivering accurate doses of medicines — all while thoughts of her new baby were lingered at the back of her mind.
Some days though, she didn’t even get to go home. Working over-time and night-shifts are mandatory for nurses for a specified number of days each month. Some days she would not see her baby till the late hours of night. On those days her husband would pick their daughter from the grandparents’ home after work, take home, change her nappies, feed her, wash her and try to put her to sleep.
Mandatory work plans for nurses are not flexible, and finding a substitute to take over was almost impossible even before she was pregnant.
Having a supportive husband made life easier for her. But it doesn’t ease the anxiety a new mother has when she’s away from her child for the whole day.
While there are laws and policies in place to help working mothers, there also lapses in the system that don’t allow everyone to benefit. This is one reason why women in Sri Lanka become stay-at-home mothers after giving birth, or have children later in life – which causes the fertility rate of the country to drop.
There are educated women in Sri Lanka who would like to be a part of the labour force but find it impossible once they enter motherhood. Labour force participation rate of women is at 30%, while the rate is at 75.8% for men, according to the population and census report, 2012.
With flexible-working hours, day care at work and the option to work from home or online – depending on the field they working in – women can continue to work while raising children. Of course, many like Chamindri have little choice, and deal with the physical, mental and emotional stresses of being a working mother in Sri Lanka.
*Name changed
(This article was originally published in www.kiyanna.lk. That site is now changed to www.ivoice.lk owned by SDJF and supported by UNFPA)
iVoice Idea Competition
iVoice is an online platform that encourages youth to discuss social issues and to drive innovative solutions. The platform features stories relating to social issues in Sri Lanka, which are submitted by iVoice contributors and the general public.
The objective of the iVoice Idea Competition is to encourage youth to play a participatory role in solving social issues. After reading a story featured on iVoice, youth can submit their ‘idea’ to help to address the social issue that is highlighted in the story. The ten best ideas will receive seed capital of Rs. 100,000/- each, and mentoring, to support in implementing their ideas.
The majority of articles featured on iVoice relate to a social issue. These stories have a ‘Submit Your Idea’ button at the end of the article, inviting youth to share their innovative ideas on how to address these social issues.
Submitted ideas must be innovative and unique. The ideas must also be practical and implementable by 31 December 2017.
The deadline for submitting an idea is 3 September 2017.
To submit an idea, the following details must be provided through the online form:
Note: Participants can submit any number of ideas; however, only one idea per article is permitted.
Ideas will be evaluated through a competitive process.
03 Sept 2017: Closing of submissions at 23:59 on 3 September 2017
06 Sept 2017: Shortlisting of 20 ideas
13 Sept 2017: Shortlisted applicants to present their ideas in further detail to the judging panel
21 Sept 2017: The ten winning ideas will be announced at the Award Ceremony at which Rs. 100,000/- seed capital will be granted to each of the winning applicants
Evaluation criteria includes creativity of the proposed idea to address the given social issue, and feasibility of implementation within the stipulated budget and timeframe.
The number of votes received per idea will not be a deciding factor.
The judging panel’s decision will be final.
iVoice Idea Competition
iVoice is an online platform that encourages youth to discuss social issues and to drive innovative solutions. The platform features stories relating to social issues in Sri Lanka, which are submitted by iVoice contributors and the general public.
The objective of the iVoice Idea Competition is to encourage youth to play a participatory role in solving social issues. After reading a story featured on iVoice, youth can submit their ‘idea’ to help to address the social issue that is highlighted in the story. The ten best ideas will receive seed capital of Rs. 100,000/- each, and mentoring, to support in implementing their ideas.
The majority of articles featured on iVoice relate to a social issue. These stories have a ‘Submit Your Idea’ button at the end of the article, inviting youth to share their innovative ideas on how to address these social issues.
Submitted ideas must be innovative and unique. The ideas must also be practical and implementable by 31 December 2017.
The deadline for submitting an idea is 3 September 2017.
To submit an idea, the following details must be provided through the online form:
Note: Participants can submit any number of ideas; however, only one idea per article is permitted.
Ideas will be evaluated through a competitive process.
03 Sept 2017: Closing of submissions at 23:59 on 3 September 2017
06 Sept 2017: Shortlisting of 20 ideas
13 Sept 2017: Shortlisted applicants to present their ideas in further detail to the judging panel
21 Sept 2017: The ten winning ideas will be announced at the Award Ceremony at which Rs. 100,000/- seed capital will be granted to each of the winning applicants
Evaluation criteria includes creativity of the proposed idea to address the given social issue, and feasibility of implementation within the stipulated budget and timeframe.
The number of votes received per idea will not be a deciding factor.
The judging panel’s decision will be final.
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