The Wings of Hope Achievement Awards Semi-Finals 2024
On June 20th, Dr. R. Sri Ram and Mrs. Rajni Sriram, co-founders of The Wings of Hope Achievement Awards (WOHAA), hosted the semi-finals at Westminster. This marks 20 years of WOHAA, with over 40,000 students having participated.
The judging panel featured Lord Robin Butler of Brockwell, actor Sir David Jason, Oxford professor Dr. Tim Mawson, London Business School’s Professor Simona Botti, comedian Michael Dapaah, educationalist Mrs. Sangeeta Doraiswami, and Jemma Tadd, Head of Fashion at eBay.
23 WOHAA teams, aged 14-17, from across the UK, showcased their projects. Rajni and Dr. R. Sri Ram praised the students’ creativity, entrepreneurship, and professionalism, highlighting the impact of WOHAA in empowering young people.
Fundraising activities included marathons, Monopoly-themed dress-ups, origami, candle making, football tournaments, car-washing, music festivals, Easter egg-hunts, portrait drawing, cultural evenings, pre-loved fashion sales, choir competitions, and busking. Students developed organisation, teamwork, problem-solving, community engagement, and entrepreneurial skills.
Community projects involved litter picking, insect hotels, animal shelters, mental health clinics, hospital visits, emergency department volunteering, food bank donations, and waterway clean-ups. Awareness campaigns included school assemblies, social media videos, community presentations, flyers, and door-to-door charity walks.
Sir David Jason said: “I have been judging these awards for nearly 20 years and what is consistent is the resilience, creativity, and sheer humanity these students show. They really are the leaders of tomorrow, that I continue to be inspired by.”
Lord Butler said: “I could not miss seeing these students, they are truly special and demonstrate what community and creativity are in the best of forms.”
Students will continue to be mentored, with finals following the judges’ deliberation.
