Applications have opened for Digital Equity SL: AI Training Workshops organised by South Asian Women in Media – Sri Lanka (SAWM‑SL) in partnership with the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF) and the Jaffna Press Club (JPC).

The full‑day, in‑person workshops, scheduled for October and November in Colombo, Jaffna, Kandy and Puttalam,  will be conducted in Sinhala, Tamil and English, with online follow‑ups. 

They aim to equip women journalists, civil society actors and policy makers with two critical capabilities: harnessing AI to strengthen reporting and advocacy, while building defences against its misuse.

Training will combine theory with hands-on practice, covering AI fundamentals, practical tools, countering technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence, digital safety, data protection, ethical use of AI, and advocacy applications. Sessions will be led by Dr. Sanjana Hattotuwa, an international authority on influence operations, disinformation and digital safety.

“This initiative ensures women journalists, rights advocates and policy people have both the technical fluency to lead in modern newsrooms and advocacy programmes, and the tools to protect themselves in an evolving digital space,” said Sharmini Boyle, Program Lead and Trustee of SAWM Sri Lanka.

Applications are open to media professionals including freelancers, civil society organisations and local government bodies via sawmsrilanka.org/ai-training-2026 until September 15, 2026. Each workshop will be limited to 25 participants.

Workshop Schedule:

• Oct. 13 — Colombo (Sinhala)
• Oct. 20 — Jaffna (Tamil)
• Oct. 27 — Kandy (Sinhala)
• Nov. 3 — Puttalam (Sinhala/Tamil)
• Nov. 10 — Colombo (English)

The programme is supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) under Digital Equity SL: Responsible AI Empowering Women, Media and Civil Society.

Established in 2009, SAWM Sri Lanka is an independent, non‑partisan network advocating press freedom, gender equality in newsrooms and the professional advancement of women journalists.

For more information, contact sawmsrilanka@gmail.com.