Everystory Sri Lanka is a feminist storytelling and knowledge-sharing collective based in Sri Lanka and working across South Asia.

This is our flagship project: Stories of Sri Lankan Women. Through this work, we aim to gather as many stories as possible of inspirational Sri Lankan women born in the 20th and 21st century whose lives, work, and experience have and have been shaped by our social, political, and cultural contexts. At this stage, we intend to create a compendium of Sri Lankan women’s stories drawing out synergies across places and contexts, spotlighting on catalytic moments, and exploring where and how we can tell feminist histories.

About the Work

In October 2021, we launched the first thirty stories collected through this work to the public. The collection, development, publishing, and launching of these stories have all been made possible by the generous support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. We are proud to present into the public domain the first thirty stories from the Stories of Sri Lankan Women project.

The women featured in this first phase are diverse, and each has her own compelling journey to share. We intentionally chose to highlight stories of women currently living and based in Sri Lanka or who have been for a greater portion of their lives. The stories span across generations, industries, experiences, race, ethnicity, religion, and historical contexts. It is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list of any kind, but rather, a glimpse of the phenomenal herstories that exist.

Through this mailing list, we will share with you the stories from the first phase of our work as they are concurrently released on our social media accounts.

You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (where you can find tri-lingual summaries of each of the stories as well) and our Medium page.

An Elegant Blend of Tradition and Fierce: Ramani Fernando | by Everystory Sri Lanka | Dec, 2021 | Medium — everystorysrilanka.medium.com

“Empowering staff is so important, especially during these hard times...I’m always very happy to hear about staff who have started their own businesses. Being an entrepreneur, it’s wonderful to see people take on the skills they have acquired under our training and go on to become successful. I’m always happy for them, and that inspires me to keep going as well.”

-Ramani Fernando (Entrepreneur and Founder, Ramani Fernando Salons)

From Failing School To A Trail Blazing Conservationist: The Unorthodox Journey Of Anya Ratnayaka | by Everystory Sri Lanka | Dec, 2021 | Medium — everystorysrilanka.medium.com

“If somebody says no you can’t do that, especially in terms of work-related things, I’m like ‘nah, you’re not going to tell me not to’. I want to do things on my own, I want to be independent, so I’m very thick skinned and there’s very little that can upset me ... I think it’s a little easier for me but I think all women should strive to that point where they don’t take what is given... I am clear about who I am, what I want, and I will get it.

-Anya Ratnayaka (Wildlife Biologist, Conservationist, and Founder, the Urban Fishing Cat Conservation Project)

“The Boys’ Club” -Anomaa Rajakaruna’s Fight To Keep Telling Stories | by Everystory Sri Lanka | Dec, 2021 | Medium — everystorysrilanka.medium.com

“I don't believe in changing something overnight; I believe in changing one by one, a little by little, step by step.”

-Anomaa Rajakaruna (Filmmaker and Founder - Agenda 14 )

‘I am not me on my own’ — Amila de Mel on her trek through architecture and other uncharted paths | by Everystory Sri Lanka | Dec, 2021 | Medium — everystorysrilanka.medium.com

“I don't want to just build; I think the less we make, the better this world will be...it's beyond architecture, but it is also what makes architecture”

-Amila De Mel (Chartered Architect and Partner, Aluwihare Heritage Center)

An Unyielding Spirit of Education: Ms. Shiranee Mills | by Everystory Sri Lanka | Dec, 2021 | Medium — everystorysrilanka.medium.com

"I am passionate about two things. One is about teaching feminist values to the next generation. The second is redefining my faith through a feminist lens because I very much believe that Christian principles are very much feminist."

-Shiranee Mills (Executive Director: Women’s Research and Education Center and Former Principal: Uduvil Girls College )

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If you have any questions, suggestions, feedback or would like to support this work please email us at [email protected]