Sri Lankan personality up for international travel scholarship

A committed Sri Lankan social justice advocate has been shortlisted as a finalist in a worldwide search for the most influential volunteer of 2019. 

Juanita de Alwis

Juanita de Alwis is one of nine finalists for International Volunteer HQ’s (IVHQ) Volunteer of the Year 2019 scholarship, putting her in the running to win a volunteer trip to make a difference in a deserving community abroad. Juanita has built a significant online following to promote worthy causes in Sri Lanka. She is the creator and host of an online community talkshow that aims to break cultural taboos and raise awareness of social issues. She is a volunteer community crisis responder, providing psychological and physical first aid, as well as suicide first responde. Juanita is also an animal welfare and environmental activist, and a spokesperson for gender empowerment and mental health. She has run several online campaigns to champion the causes she is passionate about. More than 1,000 people from 100 different countries were nominated for the Volunteer of the Year scholarship, which includes:

A 2-week IVHQ volunteer trip abroad to the destination of the winner’s choice

A $ 1,000 flight voucher

Up to $ 150 in travel insurance

All told, the scholarship can be worth more than $ 3,000. The winner will be decided by public vote, with votes able to be cast now via www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-of-the-year/.