St. Lucian Johanan Dujon has been named among the four winners of the 2019 Commonwealth Youth Awards in recognition of their efforts to end hunger, sexual violence, sanitation issues and climate change.
Dujon, joined young people from India, Nigeria and the Solomon Islands in sharing a £12,000 grant for their innovative projects. He won in the category of the Caribbean and Canada focusing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 9) examining industry, innovation and infrastructure.
He founded an indigenous biotechnology company ‘Algas Organics’ which develops commercial agricultural products from harmful Sargassum seaweed.
The Commonwealth Secretariat said in a statement that these products unblock fish landing sites and reduce the harmful effect of the seaweed’s hydrogen sulphide emissions on local communities.
“St. Lucia heavily depends on tourism. This seaweed problem has been having a crippling effect on our tourism and local fishery sector. We have developed a process to transform this seaweed to highly quality fertiliser that we now export to other countries,” Dujon said, adding that he intends to use his share of the award to expand his work to other affected small island states in Africa and the Pacific.
Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi of Nigeria, who won the Africa and Europe category by focusing on the SDG 5 of Gender Equality, is a survivor of sexual violence herself.
Oluwaseun, who also scooped the overall prize of 2019 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year, set up the ‘Stand to End Rape’ (STER) initiative to offer support to women, men and young people who have experienced any form of gender-based abuse in Nigeria.
“I dream of a future where this work is not required. I dream of the day when sexual violence is completely eradicated from this world,” she told the ceremony on Wednesday.
Padmanaban Gopalan of India won the Asia category, focusing on SDG 2 with an emphasis on hunger.
He founded the ‘No Food Waste’ programme in India which sees 12,000 volunteers collect surplus food from parties and restaurants. The volunteers then deliver it to ‘hunger spots’ in India to feed the hungry.
“My programme has recovered over 650,000 meals in my country which have benefited nearly one million people,” he said.
Solomon Island’s advocate for sustainable livelihoods, Bobby Siarani, founded a bio-gas initiative to address waste disposal and sanitation issues. The project delivered biogas-based construction workshops to over 500 young people and has provided clean energy to hundreds of people in rural areas of his country.
Bobby said he plans to use his Commonwealth grant to take his initiative to remote areas in the Solomon Islands.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, who presented the awards, said “the pace, depth and scope of development in any society depend on how well its youth are nurtured and supported.
“This means providing the space for young people to thrive, to contribute and to realise their potential.In such an environment, they are able to exercise their rights and citizenship, and to find fulfilment and purpose; passing on to others the gains and positive values that come from the true community,” she added.
Every year the Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work recognise the exceptional contribution of young people, aged 15-29, of 53 Commonwealth countries who are leading initiatives in view of the sustainable development goals.
