The WELEAD, EWR Zonal Meeting on "Building Women Leaders & Exploring Campaign Strategies" was successfully conducted on 24th and 25th July 2026 at Don Bosco, Nilavarapatti, Salem, with the participation of 40 Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) from Tiruppur SEDO and Don Bosco Anbu Illam, Salem District. The primary objective of the programme was to strengthen the leadership capacities of women, enhance their understanding of election campaign strategies, and equip them with practical skills to actively participate in democratic processes and local governance.
The programme commenced with a formal welcome by Fr. Ashok Lawrence, Director, Cauveri Development Office, Don Bosco Tiruchy. Rev. Fr. Amaladoss Sanjone, SDB, Rector, Don Bosco Care Home, Nilavarapatti, the resource person, animated the participants on the project vision of empowering women to become confident, informed, and effective leaders capable of contributing to grassroots governance and community development.
The technical sessions were facilitated by Mr. Christuraj, Lead Trainer – Governance, Rights & Empowerment. He began by explaining the importance of women’s leadership, emphasizing how women have traditionally been conditioned to remain subordinate to men across generations. Through interactive discussions, participants reflected on existing gender norms, barriers to leadership and the need for women to assert their rightful role in decision-making processes. The Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises, enabled the participants to identify community issues, map local resources, and analyze governance challenges using participatory methods. The sessions were also focused on translating leadership concepts into practical action. A Mock Election Campaign, provided participants with hands-on experience in campaign planning, preparing election messages, voter outreach, public speaking, and managing campaign activities. The simulation helped participants gain a deeper understanding of election processes and effective communication strategies while building confidence to contest elections and engage in public leadership.
The two-days programme concluded with reflections and feedback from the participants, who expressed that the practical sessions had enhanced their leadership skills, strategic thinking, teamwork, communication and decision-making abilities. This training successfully motivated the Elected Women Representatives to take on greater leadership roles and strengthened their commitment to active participation in local governance and democratic processes.