Anojitha is a youth advocate based in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. She is serving as a member of Global Refugee Education council, with an aim of supporting Canada's ‘Together for Learning Campaign’ – an international campaign hosted by World Vision to ensure that all refugee and displaced children can access the education they need and deserve.
Growing up in the northern part of the country, Anojitha has directly experienced throughout her lifetime a number of challenges resulting from its long-running civil war, including displacement, insecurity, lack of safe space for engagements and inadequate shelter. Passionate about sustainable peace, Anojitha obtained a Bachelor of Peace and Conflict Resolution from the University of Kelaniya and has completed internships at IOM-Sri Lanka and Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms (SCRM), under Prime minister’s office of Sri Lanka and at United Nations – IOM, Sri Lanka & Maldives. Anojitha has many experiences in participating as a young advocate in activities both locally and internationally on issues of conflict, inter-community dialogue and peacebuilding.
She has worked with National Peace Council of Sri Lanka, Erasmus + Peacebuilders network, Interfaith Colombo, Youth Opportunities, Women and Media Collective and a number of other initiatives committed to strengthening peacebuilding and conflict transformation locally and internationally. Recently, Anojitha has been honored with The Diana Award2021, the most prestigious prize for young people's social action or humanitarian work. Anojitha strongly believes that including young people is a critical component of effective, wide-reaching and sustainable efforts to overcome conflict and fragility. She is seeking for opportunities to collaborate with multiple stakeholders from different parts of the world that create spaces for young people to learn, participate and lead.
Anojitha is a young leader participating at the European Humanitarian Forum through the support of World Vision. Read more about World Vision's Child participation and safeguarding principles here.