Sri Lanka’s Mahima Herath wins third place in Australia’s Humanitarian Innovation Pitch

Mahima Pivithuru Herath, a postgraduate student at Griffith University from Sri Lanka has secured third place in the prestigious Humanitarian Innovation Pitch competition. 

His research focuses on enhancing access to primary healthcare services for the lives of Syrian refugees in the 70,000 person Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan.

Mahima’s project aims to create a model that improves health and well-being in this highly vulnerable community.

The first place of the competition was awarded to Emily Nabong from the University of Sydney, whose innovative research develops a simulation tool for policymakers. 

Phyllis Wairimu Ngugi from Bond University claimed second place with her work on modernizing and scaling traditional solar drying methods. 

The Humanitarian Innovation Pitch is an annual event that highlights the impactful research of postgraduate and higher degree by research (HDR) students addressing critical issues faced by underserved communities. 

The competition encourages participants to consider how their findings can be utilized by governments, institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) , and local communities to tackle humanitarian and development challenges.