"I feel I have done my best for the IPPF as a volunteer".

I am being awarded the IPPF Youth Award for Contributions to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights on 27 November 2010. I am honoured to receive the award.

I joined the Family Planning Association, Sri Lanka in 2004, during my third year of university, whilst reading for my undergraduate degree in Management and Finance.

Having experienced calamities with regard to unavailability of abortion services and lack of awareness on contraception throughout my university career, this was my avenue to knowledge and empowerment on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.

Having already recognized the need for such knowledge which was vital to adolescents and youth, especially upon transition into adulthood, I involved myself as a Grassroots Volunteer and worked as a Peer Educator for a project entitled 'Youth Caravan'.

This project took me to work in 16 districts to empower youth on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.

In 2005, I was appointed as Secretary of the National Youth Technical Advisory Committee and the Chairperson of the National Youth Committee in 2006, which enabled me to lead many youth-specific activities such as the FPA youth network.

It also led to representation at the National Council and Executive Committee of FPA, giving me a forum to appear as the voice of young people at governance level.

I also was part of the Social Marketing Programme Committee and Information/Education and Communication (IEC) Committee of FPA that gave more resonance to youth voice.

In conjunction with all these committees, I was able to work in a team to formulate a Youth Policy for FPA Sri Lanka.

Working with FPASL led me to participate in the National Youth Policy Drafting Committee working closely with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Health Policy for Youth with the Ministry of Health and the Local Organizing Committee for the 8th ICAAP, in addition to many policy level engagements.

In mid 2007, I was assigned by IPPF to work with People Living With HIV (PLHIV), which took me to Lanka + as a volunteer with my HIV related work experience.

After a 3 week detailed study, I introduced a livelihood programme for young people living with HIV and eventually was invited by UNDP RCC to work with PLHIV in Sri Lanka.

My work with UNDP led me to represent CCM for GFATM, HIV Workplace Advisory Board in Ministry of Labor, and at the UNAIDS civil society consultation.

I was involved with HIV specific projects such as the PLHIV Stigma Index, World Bank Development Market Place, UNODC H 13 Project and capacity building of Lanka +.

I was involved with the founding of REACH- Sri Lanka’s first youth conference on HIV and AIDs, as a director of the event.

I made two presentations: one on SRH and its rights-based approach and another on Youth and SRH, whilst also operating as a moderator of the conference.

I was awarded a Fellowship in Development Communication in 2009 by the University of Miami.

Currently I work as the Coordinator of the South Asian Regional Youth Network (SARYN) which entails travelling to 9 Member Associations:

liaising with both adult and youth bodies to spread awareness and knowledge of SRHR amongst young people.

Having been able to aptly adapt to cultural sensitivity across the region, SARYN was officially launched in August 2010, alongside my first ever exhibition that captured moments from workshops across the region.

I hope to work extensively to strengthen SARYN as a global youth body for SRHR in the near future.

I am also a trustee on the board of Grassrooted Development Consultants, a local consultancy that works extensively in HIV and SRHR, specifically targeting a youth audience.