WSA Where Are They Now? – How WSA changed RAIN
From a School Idea to a Global Stage
Our solution, RAIN: Really Autonomous Irrigation Network, began as a small initiative by my brother and me to solve a huge problem faced by school and home gardeners: the difficulty of regular watering. At first, RAIN was designed to address the watering challenges in our school garden, especially during holidays. However, our journey with WSA transformed this simple idea into a solution with much greater potential for impact.
Our team, RAIN, won the SLASSCOM (Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies) Ingenuity Awards in the school category. Through SLASSCOM, we were introduced to the World Summit Awards (WSA). At that time, we submitted our project to the first stage with very humble expectations. We simply hoped that our small project might get an opportunity to go international. When we were selected for the finals, it was an unforgettable moment for us. Suddenly, our project RAIN was going international. For us as school students, this was an incredible experience.
Learning, Connections, and Lasting Impact
The WSA Global Congress was much more than just an event. From the moment we arrived, we met many inspiring people from around the world. Everyone was friendly, welcoming, and always ready to start a conversation. These interactions alone were extremely valuable for us. The workshops and talks conducted during the congress were also outstanding. We learned a great deal about the digital world, entrepreneurship, and how technology can truly create meaningful impact in communities.
Lessons from the WSA Experience
One important lesson we gained through the WSA experience was the importance of building solutions that are also financially sustainable. Initially, we believed that our solution should simply be offered as a service for the community. However, through the discussions, workshops, and interactions within the WSA community, we came to understand that long-term impact also requires financial sustainability. This insight became a very important lesson for us and helped shape how we think about the future development of RAIN.
Another inspiring aspect of the congress was meeting other young innovators from around the world. They were incredibly talented and passionate about solving real-world problems. We feel very fortunate to have met such people.
Apart from all these experiences, I personally gained a very valuable skill during WSA: pitching in front of a large international audience. This experience later helped me greatly when presenting our solution at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2025.
Also, the friendships and connections we built through WSA continue to be meaningful to us even today. In a nutshell, WSA became a milestone both for our solution RAIN and for us personally as young innovators. As school students, winning WSA was a truly inspiring chapter of our lives.
Finally, we would like to say to anyone who is thinking about participating in WSA: do not hesitate. Just take the opportunity and be part of the WSA community. It is an experience that can truly transform both your solution and your journey as a changemaker.
Amiru Wijayasiriwardhane
