Sagufta Salma, from Fiji, has won a regional Commonwealth Youth Award and a £3,000 grant for her enterprise in turning waste material into sustainable furniture and home accessories.

The four global regional winners each earned a trip to London to attend the awards ceremony on 11 March 2020. The awards were presented during a gathering at Commonwealth headquarters in London, recognizing outstanding youth for innovative projects that are delivering sustainable development in their countries.

Sagufta established her enterprise when she saw a lack of access to proper waste disposal in Fiji, and has now upcycled more than 1,000 tons of waste. She mainly employs single mothers so they can support their families.

“This award will help me create more awareness around sustainable living and empower more women to work in a field that is largely dominated by men.”

Regional awards

Three other young people won the award in other regions. They include Brian Kakembo from Uganda (Africa and Europe), Hafiz Tanveer from Pakistan (Asia), and Sowmyan Jegatheesan from Canada (The Caribbean and Canada).

Brian Kakembo also won the overall prize of 2020 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year for his work on transforming biodegradable plastics and organic waste into eco-friendly charcoal briquettes.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, who presented the awards, said nominations from more than 40 Commonwealth countries were received.

“Considering them made us aware of a vast range of impressive innovations.”

“There were projects for delivering tech-powered learning, to provide clean water and sanitation, and for waste management.”

The entries remind us that there is no lack of ingenuity or ideas. What we tend to lack are mechanisms to support and fund the young innovators who have the imagination and creativity we need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, she said.

“So, the Commonwealth Youth Awards are a searchlight picking out some of the best examples of who we are and what we can do as a family of nations.”