Tell us about the Iksha Foundation
The Iksha Foundation is a youth-Run non-profit with the objective of helping people facing various challenges in life Our organisation believes in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on poverty, gender equality and education We are currently working on the CovACTION Project. During these trying times it provides essentials such as rice wheat etc. to less privileged people and those who have lost their employment and families. Our project also has an outreach team contacting them later for other ways in which we could help them, such as providing them employment or a helping hand with their monthly expenditure we recently upgraded our project and included the provision of reusable sanitary napkins for women and educating them on sanitary health.
How did you raise Rs. 80.000 for this project? Did you expect this much?
We didn’t really expect to raise Rs. 80,000. We had just aimed to raise as much as we could. Hats off to the team, including the founders and volunteers who worked hard to launch and support the project. A big thanks to our generous donors too. I take pride in stating that most of our volunteers range from 13- to 15-year-olds. It took just two months for these teenagers to provide essentials to about 600 people from 80 families, and proving that youth can be instruments of change.
Tell us about your team.
The Iksha Foundation was set up by three teenagers-Jigisha Hota, Kalvin Richards, and me- to reduce poverty and help the youth. We have a very diverse team working for us, consisting of about 40 volunteers in various departments from many countries including Singapore, Turkey, and Switzerland, and various States in our country. We try to inculcate humanitarian values in our volunteers and show them the path to make a difference.
What are the future plans for Iksha?
The various factors that lead to poverty are what we aim at tackling lack of education unemployment, healthcare, climate change etc. The COVID- 19 pandemic has had an effect on people from different walks of life. The factors leading to poverty hove worsened and it’s time we focused on improving them. As teenagers, we are enthusiastic and have a plan for cur foundation for the next 10 years. We hope we can help as many people as we can The most recent project launch was Project Ayushka, which aims at supporting senior citizens and COMD-isolated people by providing them the company of young minds
Why did you want to start this foundation, and why the name Iksha?
As teenagers with a global perspective/ the three of us observed the problems the world is facing, and felt we needed to do something about it. We found poverty was the root cause of various problems. It took us hours of video calls, midnight chai, and designing to finally set up the basic structure for our Foundation, which we are currently building on Iksha is the Sanskrit word for vision
What are your hobbies?
Model United Nations is one of my favourite hobbies. I have represented India on various international platforms, fighting for causes such as gender equality, eradicating poverty, fighting climate change, etc. These competitions provide a platform for me to voice my ideas and improve my public speaking and leadership skills. I am also passionate about karate, and currently hold a black belt it has provided me focus, discipline, and fitness throughout my life. ‘I’m pursuing piano at Trinity College London, and I am an avid reader I am a huge Harry Potter fan and love Kaz Brekker.
