Strong Women: Building The Nation – A Celebration of Women’s Strength and Unity

The Shyamala School of Art has been the headquarters of UMT’s operations since the Trust’s inception, with its founders, Shyamala and Bertal Pinto-Jayawardena, dedicating their eorts to both artistic education and social transformation

In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Shyamala School of Art, in collaboration with the Unity Mission Trust (UMT), proudly hosted “Strong Women: Building The Nation,” at the school’s premises in the heart of Colombo on March 9, 2025. The evening featured a panel discussion with a difference, an interactive installation art piece, and a time of fellowship over refreshments, bringing together some of Sri Lanka’s most distinguished female leaders and an audience eager to engage in meaningful dialogue.

The evening’s panel discussion featured four of Sri Lanka’s most illustrious female leaders: Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, an internationally renowned and highly respected human rights advocate who, throughout her time of service, has both chaired and served on UN Commissions; Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena, a prominent legal analyst and media freedom advocate who sits as RTI Commissioner on the Right to Information Commission who is also of both local and international repute; Dr. Naazima Kamardeen, a respected academic specialising in law and gender equality, who is a professor and Chair of Commercial Law and the Head of the Department of Commercial Law, at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. It must be noted that Dr Kamardeen is the only as well as the first Muslim lady in the country to hold her current position; and Shyamala Pinto-Jayawardena, Principal of the Shyamala School of Art and Co-founder of UMT is one of the foremost teachers of Art and Design in Sri Lanka and has multiple creative partnerships which includes the Palliative Care Centre in Karapitiya where she uses art as a tool for end-of-life care patients to process, cope, reflect and express themselves.

Following the discussion, the event transitioned into an interactive installation art piece, where participants were invited to weave a tapestry of togetherness. This symbolic act represented how women, like individual threads, come together to form a resilient, vibrant and unified community. The evening concluded with a time of fellowship, where attendees reflected on the insights shared, deepening their connections, and reinforcing their commitment to empowering one another. Through this event, Shyamala School of Art and Unity Mission Trust reaffirmed their dedication to nurturing strong, empowered women who will continue to shape and build the nation.