2010 International Women of Courage Award Winner

Mrs. Jenzila Majeed the founder member of Community Trust Fund (CTF) Sri Lanka. The community Trust Fund is an organization which is a non profit organization working in Sri Lanka especially for the people were Internally displaced in 1990. As a member of an internally displaced person (IDP) for almost 20 years, Ms. Majeed has become an energetic activist for services for displaced Muslim and Tamil civilians, focusing particularly on grassroots programs on life skills, health, and women's empowerment. Her activism began in 1992 with a working group of five people. She overcame both the general neglect of the problem of IDPs in the Muslim minority as well as her own community’s strictures against women activists to build a broad-based organization that works on minority and women’s issues in a highly sensitive and politicized environment.  

As a Sri Lankan we all are proud that Mrs. Jenzila Majeed is the second woman from Sri Lanka who was announced by US Secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Ms. Jansila Majeed of CTF Puttalam as one of the ten winners of this year’s International Women of Courage (IWOC) award 2010. The US Embassy in Colombo has released a statement in this regard.

On March 10, Secretary Clinton will present the awards to the honorees at the Department of State. The annual International Women of Courage Award was started in March 2007 to recognize women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women’s rights and advancement. This is the only award within the Department of State that pays tribute to outstanding women leaders worldwide. It recognizes the courage and leadership shown as they struggle for social justice and human rights.

The other IWOC award winners are as follows by name and country, Shukria Asil (Afghanistan), Colonel Shafiqa Quraishi (Afghanistan), Androula Henriques (Cyprus), Sonia Pierre (Dominican Republic), Shadi Sadr (Iran), Ann Njogu (Kenya), Dr. Lee Ae-ran (Republic of Korea), Sister Marie Claude Naddaf (a.k.a. Sister Marie Claude) (Syria) and Jestina Mukoko (Zimbabwe).

The Statement released by the US Embassy is as follows
 Ms. Majeed is the Managing Trustee of Community Trust Fund in Puttalam province. The Trust oversees a number of programs on minority and women’s issues, including women’s rights, peace building, relief work, working with young people, and mine-risk education in the North and East. Ms. Majeed’s own particular focus is on uniting the Muslim and Tamil communities in her province.

Having lived as an internally displaced person (IDP) for almost 20 years, Ms. Majeed has become an energetic activist for services for displaced Muslim and Tamil civilians, focusing particularly on grassroots programs on life skills, health, and women's empowerment. Her activism began in 1992 with a working group of five people. She overcame both the general neglect of the problem of IDPs in the Muslim minority as well as her own community’s strictures against women activists to build a broad-based organization that works on minority and women’s issues in a highly sensitive and politicized environment.