Women Empowerment – Freda Corea Awards

Mrs. Freda Corea was the only daughter of Mr. John Kotalawela (senior) and Alice Elizabeth Attygalle and the sister of one-time Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Sir John Kotalawela, and Mr. Justin Kotalawela, a well-known person in the private sector. She was educated at Bishop’s College, Colombo. She married Dr. C.V.S. Corea from a well-known family in Chilaw.

She was deeply religious and a devout Christian. Her friends and relations recall her as a lady whose benevolence and kindness knew no bounds. The Horton Lodge donated by Dr. Gamani Corea to the Gamani Corea Foundation was where Freda Corea lived. She maintained the house and garden beautifully and it was an open house for people from all walks of life.

The Freda Corea Awards project was initiated by the Gamani Corea Foundation in 2023 in memory of Mrs. Freda Corea the mother of Dr. Gamani Corea. The theme of the project is Women’s Empowerment. It aims to recognize and reward inspirational women who have effectively defeated poverty by overcoming problems, obstacles, and challenges and uplifted their family status by empowering themselves through determination and creativity. It is hoped that the efforts of these women will act as an incentive for other like-minded women to follow in their footsteps.

Today, it is crucial that every citizen contributes to the economic recovery of the country. Within this context, women’s role in this endeavour is vital. However, currently, only 33% of women contribute to the workforce and there is an increase in women-headed households. The woman carries the burden of providing for their family, looking after the children, and attending to all household duties. Due to time constraints and other factors, their latent talents that can contribute to the country’s development effort are underutilized.

The Freda Corea Awards 2023 conducted as a research-based competition, threw up several new avenues and opportunities for empowering rural women and preparing them to make a more meaningful and productive contribution to the country’s future economic development.

Phase II of the FCA competition concluded on the same lines as Phase I where inspirational women with a success story to share and their story writers will be recognized and rewarded.

The awards highlighted the contributions of Sri Lankan women towards family empowerment and national development, for the second successful year.

 Writers were tasked with identifying individuals whose perseverance and achievements in overcoming socio-economic barriers could inspire others. The awards were inclusive, accepting entries in English, Sinhala, and Tamil, ensuring equal opportunity for all Sri Lankan citizens, regardless of age or other factors. In 2024, the competition recognized 18 remarkable women from 3 categories (Entrepreneurship, Family Emancipation & Outstanding Achievements) whose stories were brought to the public’s attention by writers from across the island. The event was graced by Ms. Wanda Kotalawala, the Chief Guest, and Ms. Sriyani Hulugalle, the Guest of Honour. 

For more event photographs

For more details, please email;

shiraneemanagerfca@gmail.com
chandanacoordinatorfca@gmail.com
amcerm.gcf@gmail.com