OUR STORY
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Ability for Action was founded in January 2023 by Ishan Jalill, a development practitioner and disability rights activist who is blind from birth.
In March 2023, we received a grant from the US Embassy in Sri Lanka to implement "Red for You", which was our first major project.
The project involved:
-conducting research into the menstrual health and hygiene needs of women and girls with disabilities across 3 districts in Sri Lanka; namely Colombo, Galle and Kandy
-conducting a public awareness campaign on social media
-forming 'care committees" consisting of women with disabilities (WWD) and their caregivers, to advocate for provision of menstrual health and hygiene needs of WWD
...in just 6 months!
RFY Research Project
We interviewed a total of 105 women and girls with disabilities (and in cases where they were unable to speak for themselves, their caregivers) from Colombo, Galle and Kandy. We asked them general questions about their socio-economic background as well as more specific questions about their menstrual health and hygiene.
We also interviewed 15 schools, training institutes and employers of persons with disabilities.
Moreover, in each district, we carried out one focus group discussion with government stakeholders and one focus group with community stakeholders.
RFY Awareness Campaign
We took on the challenge of launching a public awareness campaign based on the research findings.
We worked with Toon Studio to produce two videos:
-a cinematic video aimed at raising awareness among young men
-an explainer video encouraging women and girls with disabilities to advocate for their menstrual hygiene needs.
We took care to involve persons with disabilities at every stage of production, including casting, scripting, and accessibility testing- a first for a video production in Sri Lanka!
RFY Care Committees
We're looking for volunteers to join our "care committees"- ground-level committees to advocate for menstrual rights of women and girls with disabilities.
About the Project Lead
Ishan Jalill- Founder/President, Ability for Action
Ishan Jalill- Founder/President, Ability for Action
Born into an ordinary middle-class family in the suburbs of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ishan Jalill became the first ever born-blind person in the world to participate in competitive rowing in 2007, as a high school student at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. His subsequent advocacy work for people with disabilities and youth has taken him all over the world, including the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Aside from his work as a motivational speaker, Ishan is also a specialist in inclusive development with a focus on Disability, Gender and Youth, with over 13 years of experience in advocacy and campaigning. He has worked with many national and international organizations and entities (including the United Nations, the US State Department, International Republican Institute, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, Leonard Cheshire Disability UK, Standard Chartered Bank, and the Sri Lanka Youth Parliament) to promote and ensure inclusion of youth, women, and persons with disabilities.
Ishan is a graduate from the University of Colombo, being the first blind person in Sri Lanka to study International Relations in English medium. He also received a Diploma in Diplomacy and World Affairs (with a Distinction) at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute ( BIDTI) He is the founder and President of Ability for Action, an organization which aims to empower women and youth with disabilities through meaningful inclusion.
In November 2023, Ishan was recognized by International Finance Corporation and Women in Management Sri Lanka as one of the Top 10 Male Champions for Diversity and Inclusion; he was the youngest and the only disabled recipient of the award.
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