Sri Lankan social enterprise wins Queen’s 2018 award
View(s):Bhagya Wijayawardane, the urban gardener and co-founder of ESHKOL Garden Works, has been selected as the Sri Lanka winner of the Queen’s Young Leaders Award for 2018.
Bhagya Wijayawardane
The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme discovers, celebrates and supports exceptional young people from across the commonwealth, leaving a lasting legacy for her Majesty the Queen.
The programme, now in its fourth and final year, has formed a unique community of 240 influential change-makers, who represent all 52 Commonwealth countries.
The ESHKOL social enterprise was featured in the Business Times on November 19 under the heading “ESHKOL encourages vertical farming in Sri Lankan homes”.
Ms. Wijayawardane’s company sells products from space-saving vertical gardens to hydroponics making it possible to grow plants without soil.
“Most of the products are made using upcycled materials by people living in rural communities. Bhagya and her team run a community centre to teach organic vegetable gardening and provide seed starting and composting. She also delivers programmes in schools and youth clubs to teach young people about the importance of fresh produce, and provides low-income families with the resources needed to grow food at home for a reasonable price,” according to the description of the award.