Making her mark in the peace-building world
Pushpi Weerakoon: Pic by M. A. Pushpa Kumara
Pushpi Weerakoon’s career as a peacebuilder has been all the more enriching because she was a Rotary scholar and later a Rotarian. This alumnus of St. Bridget’s Convent and Harvard Kennedy School (among other universities) says that the fellowships offered her by Rotary Foundation were “life-changing” and “opened possibilities I never knew existed”.
As yet another Rotary year concludes on July 1 and the deadline for Rotary Foundation scholarships on May 15 draws near, Pushpi talks of how her life was changed by Rotary International.
Pushpi’s entré into the peace-building world was in 2005 when she volunteered for tsunami relief work. Later she was the Rotary Peace Fellow in 2007 and went to Chulalongkorn University, Thailand where she studied under world-renowned professors in peace-building such as Tom Woodhouse, Irene Santiago, Jan Sunoo, Joel Schaffer, Craig Zelizer. The students also went on field trips to Cambodia, the Burma border and met the Karens and Kachin indigenous communities. Students could speak to the different stakeholders of the past and existing conflicts and get hands-on experience on how the tools learned in the classroom should be applied in real life.
On her return, she was asked by Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha and Dr. Hiranthi Wijemanne and others in the board of directors of the Learn & Lead scholarship if she could travel to the high security areas in the height of the war to spread awareness and also convince government officials, parents and students to join a scholarship programme to Colombo. Pushpi has a ‘special place in her heart’ for the time when she managed the project bringing students from border villages to Colombo schools.
With Christine Lagarde at the Anti Corruption Summit while representing Sri Lanka
Her interaction with her sponsor club, the Rotary Club of Mid-Town, had convinced her that Rotarians would be the ideal to host families for the students of Learn & Lead.
In 2009, Pushpi received the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship which was in Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University, USA. It gave her the opportunity to study under Dr. John Paul Lederach better known as the Father of Conflict Transformation, Dr. Howard Zehr known as the grandfather of Restorative Justice, Dr. Lisa Schirch, Dr. Jayne Docherty, Dr. David Brubaker, Dr. Nancy Good, Dr. Barry Hart and other well-known scholars in the peacebuilding field.
While there Pushpi also got the chance to attend the mediation programme on negotiation at the Harvard Law School, and have an internship at the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery at the UNDP headquarters in New York.
Pushpi says that once a Rotary Scholar, one gets naturally ‘adopted’ into the Rotary family. “At home in Sri Lanka the district foundation chairs and clubs invited me to share my experiences and knowledge at club and district meetings/trainings. In the same manner I was invited by foreign clubs. I was requested to join service projects and fellowship events.”
“I have had many instances where my Rotary badge or T-shirt have been the only reason to have started conversations with strangers that have grown into lifelong friendships, joint projects, sister club agreements and career development prospects.”
Pushpi says she was impressed by the methodical and impactful way the organization served some of the most vulnerable communities around the world. “I saw it first hand during the time I spent with Rotarians, as a Peace scholar, and also as a humanitarian professional while stationed in four continents.”
She received the ‘Rotary National Peace Award’ given to a prominent peacebuilder (non Rotarian) in Sri Lanka in 2011. She became a member of the Rotary Club of Colombo Mid-Town in 2012, after which she headed the Satellite Club for them. In 2012 Pushpi received the Rotary International ‘Service Citation’ and the ‘Most Outstanding Rotarian’ awards. She was the District Chair for Scholarships for several years and in 2018 became the President of Rotary Club of Cinnamon Gardens. The Rotary Club of San Salvador Cuscatlan, in District 4240, inducted her as an honorary member due to her active participation in Rotary events when she was deployed in El Salvador through IOM.
For prospective applicants trying to meet the May 15 deadline for the Rotary Foundation scholarships this year, Pushpi says: “Do not hesitate. If you have the basic requirements, apply. Everyone, of us has our unique strengths. We also display it in different ways in different circumstances. Both the fellowships were a lifechanging experience for me, where I was open to possibilities that I never knew existed (especially in the early 2000s the word ‘Peacebuilder’ was not so common as a profession) and helped me understand and find a better version of me. It’s truly transformative!
“Reach out to the Rotary District 3220 Governor Sushena Ranatunga at rotary.sushena@gmail.com and incoming governor Delvin Pereira at delvin.rotary@gmail.com . Feel free to also get in touch with me pushpiweerakoon@gmail.com irrespective of where you are in the world.”
Searching for an ideal partner? Find your soul mate on Hitad.lk, Sri Lanka's favourite marriage proposals page. With Hitad.lk matrimonial advertisements you have access to thousands of ads from potential suitors who are looking for someone just like you.