Dishani Jayaweera is the director, programme designer and strategist of the Centre for Peacebuilding and Reconciliation (CPBR). Dishani has received awards for her outstanding contributions to peacebuilding work in Sri Lanka. In 2013, she cofounded 'WOMAN' to explore the role of women religious leaders and young girls in healing body, mind, soul and soil. The organization operates on the belief that the peacebuilding process begins with individuals. CPBR is working with young people, women, and community, and religious leaders, understanding them to be powerful shapers of social attitudes and behaviours in Sri Lanka, and key to bridging religious and ethnic divisions. CPBR encourages personal transformations that, in turn, empower communities to seek structural and political change. The organization’s interfaith work promotes understanding among Sinhalese Buddhists, Tamil Hindus, Muslims, and Tamil and Sinhalese Christians through dialogue, training in conflict analysis and transformation, and supporting clergy as they mobilise communities to experience the joy of interdependence and coexistence. Dishani is a Tanenbaum Peacemaker in Action.