Women are as good as men. That’s what 18-year-old Nihara Gunasekera has to say and that’s what she told the judges of the 2008 Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Awards, organized by Zonta International where she emerged not just as the Sri Lankan winner but one of the five international recipients of this year’s award.
“Women are often put down in most countries. For example when applying for a job, it doesn’t matter if the woman has the same qualifications as a man, it is likely that the man is chosen over the woman. We need to change the mindset of people and give the message that women are as good as men,” Nihara says.
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| Nihara Gunasekera |
The YWPA award aims to encourage more young women to participate in public and political life. Experiences in the voluntary sector, international exposure and dedication to the advancement of the status of women are looked for in the awards. Pre-university or pre-college women students (ages 16-20) are eligible to apply.
A prefect at Ladies’ College, house vice captain and member of the school swimming and water polo teams, Nihara, enjoys teaching English at an orphanage, the Shanthi Community Centre in Colombo and doing voluntary work at the Weera Sebala Foundation with war widows during her free time.
She was persuaded to apply for the award by a friend. “This lady I knew saw an advertisement of the award and urged me to apply,” Nihara says.
Applicants were required to highlight women’s issues in their country as well as in the world and provide their solutions through several essays.
Nihara says, through these essays she was able to gain a better understanding of the problems faced by women. But more importantly, she says, she learnt how others see these problems. This is why a change in the mindset of the people is necessary, she adds.
Tradition, she feels, still plays a major role in determining the status of women, especially in Sri Lanka and this is one of the biggest barriers for the development of women. “There’s still the belief that a woman’s role is at home – that she needs no formal education or job,” Nihara says.
Currently studying for her London Advanced Levels in Biology, Maths, Economics and History, she hopes to pursue further studies in economics, and maybe law later. “I would also like to go into development economics,” she says, adding that it complements her interest in women’s issues.
The YWPA award programme operates at the Club, district and international levels of Zonta International, President of Zonta Club 1 of Colombo (District 25), Suzette de Alwis said.
“There were 13 finalists in this year competing for the award locally. Nihara was the winner and her application was judged at the district level. She was up against contenders from the region including India and Bangladesh. As winner of that, she had then the opportunity to compete on a broader international level,” Ms. de Alwis said.
Twenty-eight applicants from 15 countries including USA, Canada, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan were considered in the final selection for the five International awards. The four other International awards were won by applicants from Canada, Hong Kong, Estonia and Sweden. |
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