IESC Announces Tarek Nabhan International Achievement Award Winner, Vindya Silva
July 28, 2022
Established in 2013, the Tarek Nabhan International Achievement Award recognizes in-country staff members who regularly go above and beyond their normal job responsibilities to achieve excellence. The award is named after Tarek Nabhan in recognition of his 31 years of service to IESC. One winner and two runners-up are selected each year. 
For 2021, IESC honored Vindya Silva, the Partnerships Director for the USAID-funded YouLead Program in Sri Lanka, as the Tarek Nabhan International Achievement Award winner.
Since joining YouLead in 2018, Vindya has consistently demonstrated a positive attitude and strong problem-solving skills. She was nominated for her creativity and work ethic in securing new partnerships and expanding YouLead’s existing partnerships. She has led the expansion of the Future Careers BRIDGE Program, a set of 30 online challenges designed to shatter industry norms by giving youth without university degrees access to ICT opportunities.
Through Vindya’s leadership, YouLead was able to secure a competitive $1.3 million grant from the Yum! Foundation to build commercial kitchens in vocational training centers country-wide. Vindya also secured a partnership with the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka to train and certify electricians across nine districts. This pilot activity is expected to support the licensing of more than 10,000 electricians by the end of the program.
Vindya and her team also worked closely with YouLead’s Entrepreneurship team to realize the Startup 2021 reality TV show featuring 30 young entrepreneurs challenging conventions in Sri Lanka. Vindya’s dedication, creativity, and efficiency have been recognized by partners and USAID Sri Lanka.
