Visaka Dharmadasa

Visaka Dharmadasa worked to bring a peaceful end to the Sri Lankan civil war for over 20 years. After her son was reported M.I.A. in 1998, Visaka formed the Association of War Affected Women with the goal of bringing women together across divides in pursuit of peace. She also established the group Parents of Servicemen Missing in Action. Visaka was instrumental in initiating peace talks between opposing sides in the conflict and designed the Track II dialogue process that helped broker a ceasefire and ultimate end to the civil war.

In 2005, Visaka was nominated for a collective Nobel Peace Prize as part of the group, 1000 Peace Women Across the Globe. She was the recipient of InterAction’s Humanitarian Award in 2006.