The faces behind your gift..

GAYANA

If you're a Canberra local you may have heard of Gayana Wijewickrema. Gayana is a 24-year-old girl changing the world, one flower at a time. Gayana also happens to have Down Syndrome. Despite her disability she is the proud owner of GG's Flowers, a social enterprise florist providing meaningful employment for people with disabilities including her cheeky self. With the constant love and support of mother and florist Geetha, Gayana's business has redefined the business model of your average profit driven florist. Regardless of the hard work of being a business owner, Gayana will use any excuse to go out for breaky, lunch or dinner - making an outfit change for each. But if she had to choose her favourite food it would definitely be Pad Thai. Gayana's biggest dislike would be magpies- especially when they scavenge to eat her food! Each day Gayana is growing in confidence and building upon her communication skills with the help of GG's Flowers. As the business continues to bloom, Gayana is ready to tackle another challenge with her sister Nip- socially conscious gift baskets! This new business venture is the exciting beginning of the duo taking their business GLOBAL and employing thousands of people with disabilities in the process.

LOUISE

Louise is a strong and inspiring woman with Down Syndrome and a highly valued employee at GG's Flowers. Leading an independent life, Louise thrives off social scenes and actively engaging in the community in whatever way she can. You can always find Louise sipping on a fresh juice and dressed immaculately to every occasion. Louise takes pride in matching her outfits, lipstick and accessories. The pay Louise earns is being saved towards a well deserved holiday hopefully sometime very soon.

NIP

Nip is a young social entrepreneur and co-founder of GG's Flowers. GG's was originally established by Nip and her family in the hope to create an uplifting, supportive and compassionate work environment for her sister Gayana. Shocked and disappointed due to the lack of support for people with disabilities, Nip dedicates her kind nature and passion to rewriting the norms of the stereotypical employee. Ensuring people with disabilities are gaining meaningful employment has become Nip's ultimate goal in life. Working towards this is never-ending, it's rare to spot Nip with her feet up but she claims if it weren't for her saviour - chocolate she'd go crazy! Funnily enough Nip is forever running late and guilty of putting shoes on Gayana's feet the wrong way around. Luckily Gayana always keeps her in line! The incredible sister bond between Nip and Gayana remains as strong as ever, aiming to broaden their impact by offering the same enriching work experience to as many people with disabilities as they can and fulfilling their dream to go global.

Geetha

As a caring mother and Gayana's number one fan, Geetha is the kindest mum you have ever met. Driven by the same intentions as Nip, to kick start GG's Flowers Geetha became a fully qualified florist forming her own extraordinary artistic flair thanks to Gayana. Geetha's commitment to Gayana and her business is a great example of her strong family values. Nothing compares to the love Geetha has for her daughters. Although in saying that she won't pass up a cheeky break from all the crazy girl madness. During this time Geetha tries to indulge in her favourite dessert turkish baklava but somehow Gayana always manages to find her and eats the rest! Geetha's job as a mother is her number one priority but she dislikes being so far away from her own. Fortunately Gayana and the girls know just how to cheer her up.