In the years following Sri Lanka’s economic crisis in 2022, daily life for many has been shaped by uncertainty and disruption. For many young people, the pressures of everyday life have pushed civic participation to the margins.
For young women from minority communities, this challenge is even greater. Their voices are often absent from discussions about the social and political issues that shape their lives.
Nabeela Iqbal, a Sri Lankan activist, peacebuilder, and Kofi Annan Changemaker 2023, is working to change that.
Through the Write for Justice Initiative, Nabeela’s organisation, Sisterhood Initiative, trained young women to write and publish on social justice issues, helping them share their perspectives while providing financial support to enable their participation.
This is where writing becomes more than an expression – it becomes an intervention.
From mentorship to publication
With support from a Kofi Annan Changemakers seed grant, Nabeela launched a mentorship programme for 20 young women aged 20 to 30 from minority communities across Sri Lanka.
Each participant received mentorship throughout the programme, helping the women develop their writing and explore issues such as minority rights, women’s rights, and peacebuilding.
Over the course of the programme, the participants developed original articles in English and Tamil, strengthening both their confidence and their ability to contribute to public conversations about justice and equality.
Their work culminated in the launch of the Write for Justice Zine, a magazine produced under the Sisterhood Initiative, a network that creates safer spaces for Muslim women in Sri Lanka.
Creating safe spaces for young women
Sisterhood Initiative was founded in 2020 in the aftermath of the Easter Attacks in Sri Lanka, when Muslim women faced intense public scrutiny over their lives, bodies, and choices. Born from a viral social media moment, the initiative creates safer spaces where young Muslim women come together to share their stories and experiences.
“When young women are given the space and confidence to write, they begin to see that their voices matter.”
The Write for Justice Zine was officially launched in January 2025 during the fifth-anniversary celebration of the Sisterhood Initiative, bringing together mentors, families, citizen journalists, human rights commissioners, and digital rights activists to hear stories emerging from the year-long programme.
Some of the articles that were published in the Zine:
- The Remarkable Visionary who Transformed Women’s Education in Trincomalee. The story of Thangamma Shanmugampillai, an educator who challenged norms in the 19th and early 20th centuries to establish one of the first schools for girls in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, and to advocate for women’s education.
- From Gaza to Mullivaikkal: The Importance of Digital Records. This piece draws on the parallels between the human rights violations in Gaza and the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war in Mullivaikkal. It highlights how digital media and online records help document war crimes and preserve historical and collective memory.
- Whispers of a Revolution. This article reflects on the Aragalaya protests during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis and the collective struggle of ordinary people demanding political change.
Amplifying new voices
To expand the writers’ reach, the Sisterhood Initiative partnered with the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH) in Washington, DC. Six participants submitted articles addressing issues such as disinformation, discrimination against minority communities, and Islamophobia.
“When young women are given the space and confidence to write, they begin to see that their voices matter,” explains Nabeela.
By empowering young women to document and challenge injustice in their own communities, Nabeela’s initiative is helping a new generation of writers to step into public dialogue.
Their voices are not only shaping conversations about rights and inclusion in Sri Lanka but also demonstrating how storytelling can be a powerful tool for social change.
↗ Learn more about Nabeela’s Write for Justice Programme