Russian House in Colombo hosts parley on women’s contribution towards development of modern society

A discussion on the contribution of women towards the development of modern society was organized by the Russian House in Colombo to mark International Women’s Day.

The main speakers at the roundtable were the well-known Sri Lankan women activists and influencers of public opinion, Dr. Sulochana Segera, founder and Chairperson of Women in Management, Mrs. Kasthuri Chellaraja Wilson, director of the pharmaceutical holding Hemas Holdings PLC (the first female Group CEO of a public quoted conglomerate in Sri Lanka), Dr. Lanka Jayasuriya Dissanayaka, Chairman of the Indira Cancer Trust and many other NGOs and Mrs. Suneetha Wijesooriya, ten-times Sri Lanka chess champion and President of the Anatoly Karpov Chess Club.

The speakers shared their experiences and examples from life in the implementation of initiatives for the organization and work of NGOs aimed at involving women in the main social and economic processes in the country. They noted the fundamental importance of the practice of volunteering, the establishment of networks and mutual support.

“The modern world offers women many opportunities, and in order to realize them, first of all, women themselves must challenge themselves to make coordinated and progressive efforts,” the participants observed.

The guests were also shown a documentary video on the feat of the first woman-cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova and a photo exhibition titled “Women of Russia”.

Addressing the audience, the representative of Rossotrudnichestvo office, Anastasia Khokhlova, stressed the relevance of involving women in the processes of civil society.

“I am glad that the Russian House in Colombo has become a platform to discuss this important topic, and I thank the distinguished leaders of public opinion who have joined us today”, she said.

“Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in the world to conquer space, was a Russian. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, a Sri Lankan, was the world’s first woman Prime Minister. Undoubtedly, such remarkable achievements not only indicate the level of development of society, where the role of women is actualized in strategic contexts, but also demonstrate the strength of spirit and similarity of the mentality of the two peoples,” she added.