SDGs Goal: 3. Good Health and Well-being.

Miyasi is a 17 year-old Sri Lankan who is currently attending high school at Panyaden International School in Thailand. Miyasi has a strong dedication to extracurricular engagement, leadership roles and social impact. She actively contributes to school life through her role as Vice President of the Student Council where she helped draft the council’s constitution and additionally organize student lead events and fundraisers to help rural communities.

Growing up, Miyasi often had stories from her father who worked to help refugees from Myanmar in Thailand. Learning about the struggle, specially, the challenges faced by mothers and newborn children made her feel a deep sense of empathy. Therefore, when the opportunity arose, she decided to start the “Safe and Healthy: New Life Initiative” focusing on health and hygiene needs of infants in the temporary shelters in Mae Hong Son province, which has been home to over 24,000 refugees fleeing conflict in Myanmar for over 25 years.

In collaboration with Malteser International, her goal is to provide reusable cloth nappies to newborn over the course of six months, she hopes to create fundraisers and events to waste money and inform her community about the issues, lifestyle and support needed for refugees. By improving infant hygiene, reducing financial burden of families and sourcing materials from local businesses, this initiative supports sustainable development goal 3. This project aspires to create a meaningful impact for both the refugees and the community around her while developing her leadership skills in pursuit of sustainable change.