Commonwealth Youth Awards For Excellence In Development Work
Winners: Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne, Asia region; Evans Wadongo, pan-Commonwealth and Africa region; and Kemar Saffrey, Caribbean region.
Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work celebrate young people in the Commonwealth who are making a positive difference to the lives of others.
Evans Wadongo, who won both the pan-Commonwealth and Africa region Commonwealth Youth Award, received a £5,000 grant for the charity he founded, ‘Use solar, save lives’.
At 19, Mr Wadongo designed a solar-powered lantern using recycled materials. Over 27,000 of these lanterns have been produced and distributed across Kenya, providing a safer, cheaper and environmentally-friendly lighting alternative to kerosene lamps. His programme has expanded to include building regional youth centres, which provide skills training for young people.
Regional winners for Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific each won a £3,000 grant.
Eco-entrepreneur Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne from Sri Lanka designed a programme that provides young people with skills to increase their employability, including training in how to write a resume, eco-tourism and computing. Her project is being replicated in Bangladesh and India.
As Chairman and President of The Barbados Vagrants and Homeless Society, Kemar Saffrey provides access to food, clothing, shelter and rehabilitation for those in need.
“The future of the Commonwealth is bright because it is in the hands of these young people and the contributions they are making.”
Courtesy: Commonwealth