October 21, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — A 23-year-old Filipina won the United Nations’ Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction Rising Star award during the recent Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Pasay City.
Robyn Mijares, founder and executive director of Youth Uprising, a non-profit organization which provides free environmental and agricultural education to marginalized Filipino youth in public schools across the country, bested five other finalists from other countries.
The Philippines hosted the five-day international disaster event, which serves as the main platform in Asia and the Pacific in monitoring, reviewing and enhancing cooperation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 to 2030, the global blueprint for preventing and reducing disaster risks in the world’s disaster-prone regions.
Other finalists include Nayyab Ali from Pakistan; Nairwita Bandyopadhyay from India, Mediatrich Triani from Indonesia; Jewel Luti Leao Tuitama from New Zealand and Liva Shrestha from Nepal.
“Each story we’ve shared is not just a testament to resilience, it’s a call to action. This award is not only meant to recount their experiences, but to ignite change,” Mijares said in her speech.
She said that her group’s “Oh my, GARDEN: Grow Your Own Food Contest” served as a pioneering effort in response to the urgent food insecurity threat brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the power of grassroots movements in addressing global challenges.
“A simple classroom assignment from a 19-year-old girl grew into a powerful movement to combat hunger – one of the slowest yet most persistent disasters we face on a day to day,” she added.
According to Mijares, the project highlights the critical need to empower the youth through sustainable agriculture, underscoring the importance of self-sufficiency and resilience in overcoming challenges.
Mijares also founded the Grow School Philippines, the first bamboo farm school located in Nasugbu, Batangas which provides free accessible environmental and agricultural programs to public schools across the Philippines.
She received a plaque and $7,500 cash prize.
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