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Writer: Leticia Nani Silva
Background
Dr. Sultanbawa grew up in Sri Lanka in a household of seven. Her father, a physician, dedicated to serving to communities and taking care of individuals in want. Her mom, a devoted housewife, pushed her kids to concentrate on their desires and chase their aspirations.
“In my home, it didn’t matter whether or not you have been a boy or woman, my household’s mantra was at all times to turn into educated, unbiased and to do what you really liked. I grew up surrounded by a plethora of religions and cultures. Right this moment, I’m lucky sufficient to talk three languages and have travelled all all over the world,” says Dr. Sultanbawa.
As a toddler, Dr. Sultanbawa cherished nature and animals. She would take a look at nature by the eyes of a scientist, which subsequently led her to her first diploma in Chemistry, accomplished in Sri Lanka, adopted by a extra specialised diploma in Meals Science from the College of Studying, UK. With full household help of instructional development and love for travelling, Dr. Sultanbawa then went onto finishing her PhD on the College of British Columbia in Canada, the place she targeted on particular proteins in fish.
Photograph credit score: Megan Pope
Communities in Sri Lanka and Australia
Dr. Sultanbawa continues, “After finishing the PhD, I returned to homeland to ascertain myself and my analysis in Sri Lanka. Nonetheless, the transfer coincided with the instances of nice battle and turbulence, which triggered my household’s determination emigrate to Australia, the place I dwell and work in the present day.”
“I used to be pressured to start out my profession from the very starting. I began engaged on analysis much like my PhD, however there was one factor lacking: I didn’t have the identical publicity to the communities as I had in Sri Lanka. My goal and keenness was to make a distinction within the distant communities by educating them about meals, whereas studying from them how they course of their meals. It gave my analysis a tangible which means and introduced a robust objective to my profession.”
Dr. Sultanbawa speaks with nice ardour in regards to the girls inside the group and the way they felt empowered by science to develop their very own enterprise fashions and turn into extra unbiased. You possibly can hardly underestimate the ability of science in educating rural communities in regards to the farming sector and meals preservation. Dr. Sultanbawa strongly believes if we will have extra girls climbing up the provide chain, that will give them a objective and a voice, and produce an amazing profit to the native societies.
“I wished to use the identical rules I’ve discovered from the Sri Lankan communities in Australia. Fortunately, my analysis allowed me to just do that. Ten years down the road, I take a look at these communities thriving, processing their very own meals and rising into well-established companies, the place girls positively have a higher energy. For me, it’s one in all my best achievements. I positively really feel a way of satisfaction seeing how science I’ve taught is being translated into communities.”
Challenges
At present, Dr. Sultanbawa works in agricultural sector, a discipline that may be very male-dominated. Nonetheless, she talks about difficulties with a moderately optimistic outlook, “If somebody has ever handled you badly due to your intercourse, color, or faith, it’s as a result of they haven’t but had the fundamental schooling or understanding. Folks have to have extra kindness and compassion”.
“After I moved to Australia, it was as much as me to work together and find out about their customs and cultures, particularly working with the indigenous communities. I discovered it thrilling. Empowering girls and kids to go to high school and obtain their aspirations is a really optimistic problem for me. Even after I lived within the UK, I had a lot of associates from numerous international locations and cultures, and I didn’t see variations amongst us, I simply noticed an enormous household and a help system.”
Analysis through the pandemic
Dr. Sultanbawa mentions the inevitable modifications to the sphere of meals science and agriculture in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, “I’ve plenty of college students who needed to journey again to their residence international locations after finishing their levels in Australia. I hear from them that many distant communities have resorted to extra conventional meals as a result of lack of availability of meals within the supermarkets. This specifies the significance of range inside our diets.
“I hope the pandemic helps individuals see that we have to turn into extra self-sufficient. We have to eat extra native produce and perceive which vegetables and fruit are in or out of season. What I notably like in regards to the indigenous communities is that they’re self-sufficient: if they can’t get to the grocery store for any cause, they’ll develop their produce at residence or forage from the wild. These girls, who tackle the duties to take care of the communities, have the mandatory land expertise and the information of rising native meals in instances of disaster.
“Empowering girls – and other people typically – to be the perfect they’ll, to turn into multi-disciplinary and well-rounded is the last word purpose. That’s all I ask of my college students and the subsequent technology coming into the world of academia. Publications are nice they usually add plenty of worth to your educational contribution, nevertheless, serving to each other and empowering one another whereas constructing more healthy communities is the most important objective of my profession.”
Frontiers is a signatory of the United Nations Publishers COMPACT. This interview has been printed in help of United Nations Sustainable Purpose 5: Obtain gender equality and empower all girls and ladies.
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