In a country ripped by ethnic conflict, Wimalee runs preschools where Sinhala and Tamil children play and study together, cutting through the prejudices and stereotypes that divide their elders.

Poverty and the trauma of war have not stopped Wimalee Karunaretna (born 1961) from making common cause with thousands of poor families in her district, and helping them persevere for a better life. In a country ripped by ethnic conflict, Karunaretna builds hopes for a peaceful future by running preschools where Sinhala and Tamil children play and study together, learn each others' languages, and cut through the prejudices and stereotypes that divide their elders.

Lack of money forced Wimalee Karunaretna, eldest of five children of a farmer, to give up her dreams of going to university. But, today, she is president of a 36,000-person organization in Sri Lanka's poverty-stricken plantation areas. Growing up poor in a village a mile from Nuwara Eliya town in Sri Lanka's central province, Wimalee secured a place at university, but her family's situation interfered with her education. However, she wrote, particularly on women's socioeconomic issues, and sent her work to the local paper. It was here that she met her husband, a reporter with the paper. The two moved to Trincomalee in the country's eastern province, where three communities-Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim-live together. Wimalee, a Sinhala, continued to write, and got involved in social work. She joined a local organization, the Rural Women's Association, becoming its president. But, in 1998, the family lost everything to heavy fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelan and the army. They returned to Nuwara Eliya, where Wimalee began her work anew. She formed a women's group in which they pooled their small savings for mutual benefit. Wimalee's main focus was empowering women economically, creating space for them to share their experiences and problems, and providing them with information about their rights. She started a preschool for children from all three communities. Wimalee, who also started a rural bank, has received awards including the President's Award in 1998 for leadership in community development and peace-building, the Rural Women Organization Award in 2000 for creative work in rural areas, the Sri Lankan NGO Council's Sevajoth Award in 2001 for peace-building, an award by the women's affairs ministry for working with women, and the NGO Samaseva’s award for peace-building.

Sinhala Tamil Rural Women's Organization (STRWO) Nuwara Eliya