World Vision is pleased to announce 17 year old Oliver Missen from Whakatane High School, 18 year old Joanna Gibbs from Kāpiti College and 16 year old Young Yu from Auckland International College, have been selected as its Youth Ambassadors for 2012.
Each year the aid agency along with food giant Sanitarium, selects three secondary school students to participate in the programme, which sees them travel to a location where World Vision works to better understand the issue and underlying causes of poverty.
This year, the winners will head to Papua New Guinea; a country with a life expectancy of just 62 and where 37.5 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Last year’s youth ambassadors traveled to Mali in West Africa, which is currently experiencing a massive food and nutrition crisis.
Of her reasons for applying for the Youth Ambassador programme, Joanna Gibbs says ” I wish to be informed, encouraged and inspired so then in return I can inform, encourage and inspire others to change the world”.
World Vision’s CEO Chris Clarke has congratulated all three describing them as ” a group of exemplary young people, who will go on to make a real difference in this world”.
Oliver, Joanna and Young were selected from 55 applicants. The group is likely to travel to Papua New Guinea in December.
