Nalini perera little lotus International Mobility scholarship

The purpose of this fund is to provide support to undergraduate and master’s students at the Faculty of Social Sciences to spend up to four months in an Asian country(ies) to acquire knowledge, skills and experiential learning by volunteering or working at a Canadian or local non- governmental organization, or to conduct international field research as part of their program.

Nalini Perera completed the Intermediate level from the Royal Institute of British Architects, London, and then earned a BA in Architecture and Planning and a MA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Also, she won the gold medal in classical piano from the Trinity College of Music, London, and performed concerts for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Furthermore, she was awarded paid internships to the Mayor's Office in Manhattan and at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research in New York. After working as an architectural designer with a private firm in Ottawa, she embarked on a 37- year career with the federal government. At the National Capital Commission, she worked as an Urban Design Planner. Then, at the department now known as Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, she held the positions of Manager, Planning and Review Manitoba Region, and later Director, Corporate Planning and Evaluation. There she witnessed the socioeconomic gaps experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis and their struggle to address these issues. At the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), she worked as a Country Program Analyst to address poverty reduction. There she administered country programming, project planning, and discussed with the governments of Bangladesh, India and Nepal the implementation of programs through private sector firms, NGOs and universities. Also, while at the Canadian Partnership Branch of CIDA, she managed teams who liaised with non-governmental organizations and oversaw programs such as youth exchanges, scholarships, and environmental and climate change. As well, she led branch strategic planning and review. Her aim is to enable Canadian students to acquire knowledge and experiential learning, thus allowing them to compete for employment through paid internships with the public service of Canada, NGOs, universities, the private sector and organic farms.