Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveSai Hitesh Vavilapalli: Indian-American teen’s nonprofit empowers the visually impaired

Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli: Indian-American teen’s nonprofit empowers the visually impaired

Compiled by: Team GI Youth

(November 17, 2023) He was just 14 when Portland-based Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli embarked on a journey to cultivate his interest in social justice and human rights, especially focussed on advocating for the visually impaired. It began when he flew down to India for his Christmas break, and visited a blind school in a quaint little town of Kakinada where his parents volunteered. “It was then I realised I should also do my best to give something back to society, and do something for the underprivileged,” he said in an interview.

Upon his return to the US, the Indian-American, whose parents migrated from Vishakapatnam, was keen to make a change and soon organised a cultural night. From this, he raised $4200 which he used to start a non-profit The I Mission in 2016. Explaining the mission of the NGO, he said, “What we do is we gather many patients together and we do screening examines and we have eye camps to test whether they are ready to go through the cataract and retinal surgeries that our partners and the people that we work with offer.”

Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli is an Indian-American changemaker

The next year, he returned to India with a vision to help the poor. It was with the help of Sankar Foundation Eye Hospital that he organised a couple of free eye camps in Vishakhapatnam, and also helped perform about 500 free cataract surgeries. Moreover, The I Mission also donated two Perkins mechanical braillers to a rural south Indian school in order to provide support for visually impaired female students in their pursuit of reading.

.Seeing the impact that his work was creating, he continued returning to India every year to help visually impaired people. On his next trip, The I Mission coordinated and funded a total of 48 cataract surgeries for underprivileged individuals, in addition to one retinal surgery. They also took on the responsibility of supporting three blind schools in the region. Initially, individuals in need of cataract or retinal surgery were identified through comprehensive screening tests conducted during eye-checking camps.

Sai Hitesh Vavilapali is an Indian-American changemaker

Beyond providing essential eye health check-ups and surgical interventions for visually impaired individuals in rural India, The I Mission also conducts educational workshops. These workshops are designed to empower students, enhance their mathematical skills for competitive platforms like MathCounts, improve their public speaking abilities, and develop their reading comprehension. The workshops are structured to be both enjoyable and educational, offering engaging activities tailored to the varying levels of receptivity among the students.

In the last few years, The I Mission has supported over 5,000 free eye screenings, 1,719 cataract surgeries, and 13 retinal detachment surgeries, besides adopting three blind schools in India. “To fund the camps, we not only conduct cultural events but have also tied up with brands like Nike and Intel. We intend to approach some more corporate firms in the coming years,” he added.

Hitesh, who plans to become a doctor, is working with a professor as a research intern at Oregon Health Science University, with a focus on discovering potential remedies for cataract and other eye-related issues prevalent among the tribal communities residing in the Eastern Ghats of India. He plans to take the nonprofit to the next level in the coming years by spreading its wings across the world.

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Published on 17, Nov 2023

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Young environmentalist Sneha Shahi is on a mission to revive rivers

(May 21, 2022) As a young child, environmentalist Sneha Shahi would go to the north east of India, where her father was stationed. Over the years, she fell in love with nature. Back in Vadodara, Gujarat, where she grew up, Sneha showed a marked interest in environmental activities. Today, a PhD scholar at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment in Bengaluru, Sneha is one of India’s 17 UN Young Climate Champions. [caption id="attachment_16973" align="aligncenter" width="615"] Sneha Shahi[/caption] "Ever since we were in school, we have been learning about how the irresponsible disposal of plastic waste can adversely impact our flora, fauna and land water systems,” says the young activist, during an interview with Global Indian. “While we are taught about it, most of us don’t ever do much to actually reduce the impact.” Sneha is among the proactive few and has cleaned around 700 kilos of waste from a rivulet so filthy that people mistook it for a gutter. Daughter of the earth A military brat, Sneha grew up travelling to various parts of the country, even though she was primarily in Vadodara. "I come from a joint family. My grandfather was also in Indian Air

has cleaned around 700 kilos of waste from a rivulet so filthy that people mistook it for a gutter.

Daughter of the earth

A military brat, Sneha grew up travelling to various parts of the country, even though she was primarily in Vadodara. "I come from a joint family. My grandfather was also in Indian Air Force, and after travelling across the country my family decided to settle in Vadodara for it was a beautiful, quaint city," says the young environmentalist, who loves to travel. "I loved to go to national parks and zoological parks, and enjoyed spending time there. So, it was natural that I would develop an interest in working with the environment,” says Sneha, laughing as she recalls people’s surprise when she first told them her career choice. She stuck with it, though, enrolling at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda to pursue bachelor's degree in environmental science and later a masters in the same subject. And this is where her life took a turn.

A rivulet runs through it

Her love for nature inspired her to enroll in UNEP’s Plastic Tide Turner Challenge, which began in her college in 2019. Funded by the United Kingdom since 2018, the “Tide Turners Plastic Challenge” has reached over 225,000 youth in 25 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. The initiative is a crucial element of the British government’s 25 Year Environment Plan to reduce ocean plastic.

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At 23, when she was doing her masters in environmental studies, Sneha led a campaign to clean a polluted rivulet that had been choked with plastic waste. Since the rivulet ran through their college campus, Sneha managed to round up 300 students for the campaign. They began cleaning what they thought was a ‘nala’ or gutter which was once said to have been home to several crocodiles. However, the crocodiles left, unable to withstand the mounting garbage. “We would make jokes about crocodiles living on campus,” Sneha says. “But that isn’t the issue, is it? The fact is that the stream belonged to the crocodiles and we ruined it.” The endeavour took months and the team had cleaned 700 kilos of waste by the end.

Braving the odds

While the students worked day and night to clean the rivulet, they faced several challenges during the campaign. "The biggest task was to create awareness in the nearby localities about plastic waste. For most of them this nala had been a dumping place for years. The after-effects of such deeds were shared and it took some time to see them react positively," shares the environmentalist, adding, "Sometimes, the police would also enquire about our projects as they had never seen anyone bother to clean this stream."

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However, things changed slowly. "Today if someone throws plastic in the stream, the locals question them and ask them to pick up the garbage. They are very protective of the stream," she smiles. The environmentalist also points out that what amazed her the most was the interest shown by the local women. "We think they are mere housewives, but they are important stakeholders in society. When we were running the awareness campaign, I was amazed by how much they wanted to learn about the water bodies near their homes, how they cause flooding and pollution and its impact on their health," Sneha says.

Interestingly, after removing over 700 kg of plastic from the urban stream, many turtles and crocodiles found their way back to the water during the monsoon. "Many other insects and plants also grew in their surroundings," shares Sneha, who adds that the college authorities installed fences for the safety of students. Currently, Sneha's juniors are managing the programme, while she monitors them.

Against the tide

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Currently pursuing her PhD in Extreme Hydrological Events at ATREE, Bengaluru, Sneha is gearing up to work on restoring the Thamirabarani, Tamil Nadu’s only perennial river. "The project is only six months old and is still being developed," Sneha explains. The Thamirabarani, which is 128 long, "supports drinking water and agricultural activity," the environmentalist says, adding, "We want to install physical instruments to control pollution and also spread awareness on the harm it has caused. We want to impact the prevailing mindset."

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Inspired by tragedy: Ishika Binu is working on making roads safer for everyone

(November 11, 2022) It was a usual day for the then 13-year-old Ishika Binu and her younger sister, when both of them stepped out with their caretaker to attend their daily Bharatnatyam class. While they were on their way a vehicle rammed into their car, throwing it completely off-balance. "It was a horrible accident," recounts now 17-year-old student, as she connects with Global Indian, from Washington. "When the car collided, I was shouting my sister's name. She was very still and I feared that she was dead. She was shifted to the Harborview Hospital in Seattle, while I remained at Evergreen due to my concussion. She stayed in the Intensive Care Unit for several days with multiple spinal fractures, a sternum fracture, and internal spleen bleeding." [caption id="attachment_24083" align="aligncenter" width="522"] Ishika Binu[/caption] While the accident left a lifelong scar on Ishika's memory, it did force her to realise the importance of road safety measures. Her recovery period gave Ishika the time to do a lot of research about road accidents across the world. The high school student found that millions of people lose their lives - either on spot or waiting for medical assistance - after meeting with an accident.

he importance of road safety measures. Her recovery period gave Ishika the time to do a lot of research about road accidents across the world. The high school student found that millions of people lose their lives - either on spot or waiting for medical assistance - after meeting with an accident. "We were lucky to be fully under my father's insurance. However, several people cannot afford their medical bills, and that pains me," shares the teenager.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4CSSnbrkw0

Inspired by the tragedy that struck her family, Ishika decided to focus on safe driving for her Girl Scouts project. Earlier this year, the Washington-based student won the National Gold Scholarship Award for her Safe Drive project - which is the highest award in Girl Scouts. She is also the founder of an NGO, Arts4Assistance, which supports families who have any unexpected medical needs.

A passionate youngster

Born in Washington to two young computer engineers from Kerala, Ishika was always attracted to performing arts - especially Indian classical dance forms. "I am heavily invested in performing arts and dancing. I have been taking formal classes since I was just four years old, and have performed on various platforms as well." Proud of her Indian roots, Ishika shares that her family celebrates Onam every year in a grand fashion.

[caption id="attachment_24084" align="aligncenter" width="589"] Binu sisters, during a Bharatanatyam performance[/caption]

For someone who finds silver linings even in the most tragic situations, she reminisces that it was the paramedic, who helped her and her sister, that played a catalyst in changing the way she thinks. "He told me that he had to be calm, to be able to help people. If he panicked, the people who are already scared might lose all hope. I was very inspired by that and today I completely base all my thought processes around that. Even when I was in the hospital, I was aware of the various issues the patients and their families were facing. Those small things motivated me to start the safe driving Girl Scouts project," shares the student.

After years of rehab and therapy, both Ishika and her younger sister, Rithika, are not only fine now, but have also performed Bharatanatyam at various events. To be able to use her art form to help others, Ishika started the NGO, Arts4Assistance. "We loved performing on the stage, and it is a big part of our lives. I plan to become a doctor when I grow up but don't want to stop doing things that make me happy due to work pressure. And I figured, many young people still like to pursue their hobbies despite having a tight work schedule. And what better than to use those performances to help other people. With that thought I started Arts4Assistance, a platform where artists can submit art pieces and performances to help raise funds for families who have any kind of unexpected medical needs," says the student.

Giving back to the society

Around the same time that Ishika was working on her Girl Scouts project, another unfortunate incident shook her. Her grandfather, who lived in Kerala, suffered a heart attack and wasn’t able to make 911 call to get an ambulance like in the US. "Having been in an accident, I knew what important role ambulances play in the patient getting timely treatment. My father made me more aware of the healthcare situation in India."

[caption id="attachment_24085" align="aligncenter" width="596"] MLA D.K. Murali flagging off the ambulance service in the Kallara village[/caption]

The youngster, with help from the Girl Scouts of Western Washington, worked remotely to implement ambulance services in the Kerala village, which was flagged off on April 2, 2022. "I realised that just spreading awareness on the prevention of road accidents is not enough. We must find a way to provide emergency medical services. I identified places that lacked proper medical transportation services in Kerala and contacted the Kallara panchayat to help improve their medical infrastructure. I raised funds for the ambulance service with the help of volunteers, and other art shows and performances in Washington," shares the young student, who is currently working on a similar project in Africa.

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Karina Samuel: Indian-American activist helping bid adieu to plastic bags

(August 6, 2023) While many countries are feeling the heat from climate change, Florida in the US has irreversibly changed by the climate emergency, which has affected coral reefs, led to higher property values and increasing inequality for vulnerable populations in the state. The chronic coastal flooding and increased storms due to global warming left the 17-year-old Indian American activist Karina Samuel appalled, who then decided to launch the Florida chapter of Bye Bye Plastic Bags in 2019. Solution for plastic menace Bye Bye Plastic Bags is a youth-led, global organisation on a mission to reduce the amount of plastic on the planet. The initiative, which has so far mobilised more than 1000 volunteers to join over 175 coastal cleanups across the state, led Karina to win the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes for making a positive difference in the people's lives, their communities, and the environment. "I’ve always been invested in climate justice, and living in Florida, I’ve seen the effects of inequalities and how they disproportionately affect poorer communities," she told Point of Light. The Indian American teen activist, who is pursuing her Bachelor of Science from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is working with

org/awards/saying-bye-bye-to-plastic-pollution-teen-volunteers-to-help-underserved-communities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Point of Light.

The Indian American teen activist, who is pursuing her Bachelor of Science from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is working with her team of volunteers across Miami, Tampa and Key West to make the Florida coast healthier. "I’ve been serving as the president of the Florida chapter of Bye Bye Plastic Bags, which is an international non-profit. It’s actually based in Bali, [Indonesia], but they have chapters all over the world. So, I founded my chapter in 2019 and I’ve been doing all sorts of different environmental projects," she told Sun Sentinel.

Impact

In the last three years, they have raised several thousand dollars to donate to different environmental organisations. Moreover, they have been focused on passing pro-environment policy reforms, banning plastic bags, organising coastal cleanups and educating the community about climate change. "We’ve done lobbying with certain candidates for the 2020 election in support of the Green New Deal, educational webinars at different schools and campuses across the state and, of course, cleanups all over the state of Florida," the Global Indian added.

[caption id="attachment_22901" align="aligncenter" width="592"] Karina Samuel is an Indian American teen activist.[/caption]

The cleanups are a constant reminder that the activist needs to continue marching forward with her volunteers. "Every time we go out for clean-ups, we see the trash and negative impact people make when they are careless. We always see plastic water bottles during the cleanups. Also, soda cans and plastic wrapping from food containers and take out," she told Point of Light.

Why giving back is important

Karina, who has been championing the cause of climate change, believes that it's important to give back to the society, and knows that the power to make the change lies with youngsters like her. "I’m not the person who will feel the majority of the negative implications from climate change, and that’s why climate justice is so important. It disproportionately affects poorer communities, people who can’t go out and volunteer for change. Those who are capable of volunteering have the responsibility to go out and address these different community problems," she added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwO8Wz_EThA

Moreover, she is the vice president of Beyond Resolved, a national student-run non-profit that aims to increase diversity and inclusivity in the high school speech and debate community. Her efforts have been recognised by the Points of Light Network, Children’s Environmental Health Network and the Earth Island Institute.

Karina, who is changing her community, one plastic bag at a time, loves to play volleyball and tennis. For someone who has been volunteering for years now, she finds "satisfaction" through her work. "It’s a very satisfying feeling to know we worked together to accomplish a goal and that it went well."

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Away from his father’s glory, swimmer Vedaant Madhavan is creating his own niche

(February 11, 2023) It wasn't long ago that the world was discussing the existence of nepotism in the entertainment industry. While several star kids follow in their parent's footsteps, there is one who is working hard to make his own name in the field of sports. Actor R Madhavan's son, Vedaant is a national record-holding swimmer, who recently won the gold medal in 800m freestyle at the Danish Open, held in Copenhagen. The young swimmer also won a gold medal in men's 200m Freestyle at the Khelo India, being organised as part of the G20 Summit, reaching the mark in mere 1:55.39 minutes. "I was always into athletics," the swimmer shared during one of his recent interviews, adding, "I put in a lot of time and effort into swimming and am really happy to win these medals. My dad was literally in tears after I won the medal. Both mom and dad were so happy and proud of me. The sacrifices they made to help me reach this level finally paid off." Global Indian takes a look at the champ's glorious journey and the tournament lined ahead for him. A born athlete While Vedaant would often visit his father on

were so happy and proud of me. The sacrifices they made to help me reach this level finally paid off." Global Indian takes a look at the champ's glorious journey and the tournament lined ahead for him.

A born athlete

While Vedaant would often visit his father on the sets of his movies, and was quite fascinated with the profession, he never could see himself in front of the camera. Always a part of the school's sports team, he discovered his love for swimming only five years back, while at a school competition. "I was swimming with my school team, and a few of the members were national-level swimmers. I was quite taken by them and would swim with them regularly. One day, we had a competition against other schools and the coach decided to put me in that relay. And that moment I realised I can keep up with them, even though they were three years older than me. I was having a lot of fun, and started taking part in various swimming events and also joined a competitive club," the swimmer shared.

It was the 2021 Jr Aquatic Nationals in Bengaluru where the swimmer first created a splash at the competitive level by bringing home a staggering seven medals for Maharashtra, including four silver medals in 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle, 4 x 100m freestyle relay, and 4 x 200m freestyle relay events. "My parents were quite supportive of my taking part in these events," Vedaant shared, "Throughout the process, my parents didn't question any of my decisions. Even though my father travels a lot because of his profession, he calls me from where he is and motivates me ahead of any heat. However, I don’t really like to have the title of R. Madhavan’s son. I want to create my own identity and my competitors respect me for who I am"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcQTLvVGIgU

Though his father is his hero, the youngster takes inspiration from the swimming legend, Michael Phelps. The swimmer said, "He is the best swimmer of all time, and watching him inspires me a lot. I also attended a conference along with 10 other kids where Phelps was the key speaker. I asked him about his training schedule and he informed me that he trains as much as I do - about 6 km every session in the morning. But I must add that I look up to a lot of Indian swimmers as well, such as Sajan Prakash, Kushagra Rawat, and Srihari Nataraj."

Long journey ahead

Although he is just back from a huge win, the young swimmer is training hard for some very important tournament lying ahead. "There are some competitions. I will have to sit down with my coach and decide which ones I have to go to and which ones I don't have to go to. At this point, my main goal will be the junior nationals which are in July 2023. Based on my performance at the Jr Nationals, I will be selected for the FINA junior world games and world school games."

[caption id="attachment_27439" align="aligncenter" width="634"] Vedaant and his parents, with Odisha's CM Naveen Patnaik[/caption]

However, the swimmer's main goal, like several other sportspersons, remains the beautiful Olympic medal. "It's everyone's main target," the youngster quipped when asked about the Olympics, adding, "In the junior nationals, depending on my performance, I will be selected for the Asian Games, and that can eventually help me represent the country in the Olympics. Last year, when Sajan and Srihari made the Olympic 'A' cut, it gave young swimmers like me a lot of hope. Right now, I am preparing to participate in the 2024 Olympics, and win some medals for the country."

The youngster, however, is not only limiting himself to water sports. Exploring other career options, Vedaant is taking several additional courses at school. "Right now I am focused on swimming. However, I am a part of the acting programme in school, and also taking a few business classes. I have also been a part of several environmental science projects in my school," shares the swimmer.

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Rohan Kalia: Indian-American teen wins President’s Scholarship for glaucoma detection device

(August 25, 2023) It was after one of Rohan Kalia's family members was diagnosed with glaucoma that the Indian-American teenager began researching an affordable technology that could be used for early detection. A sophomore at Wheeler High School in Marietta, the 17-year-old found that glaucoma ranks as the second most prominent cause of irreversible blindness on a global scale. The startling fact prompted him to look for an affordable solution in the form of a device that can accurately diagnose the condition. This gave birth to EyePal, a portable device that can detect glaucoma with 95 percent accuracy. The invention won the teenager the 2023 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) President's Scholarship, which comes with a prize of $10,000. Glaucoma is an eye disease involving the degradation of the optic nerve that carries visual information, leading to a gradual loss of vision. If not detected early, it can lead to some degree of permanent blindness. The condition is detected from images taken of the retinal fundus (the back surface of the eye's interior) during a standard examination by an opthalmologist. During his research, Rohan found that a person's socioeconomic condition impacts the diagnosis of glaucoma. "I learned that

oma. "I learned that there's a huge disparity in eye care treatment across the world," Rohan said, adding, "Diagnosis and prevention of glaucoma is not accessible."

[caption id="attachment_32712" align="aligncenter" width="596"] Rohan Kalia[/caption]

Moreover, he discovered that people in rural areas are worst affected as many individuals face difficulty in accessing glaucoma testing due to a shortage of eye doctors and testing centers, coupled with the expensive equipment, absence of health insurance, and high-test costs. Understanding the severity of the condition, Rohan knew he had to find a solution. Explaining the working of EyePal, he said, "The EyePal uses a quality camera, a Raspberry Pi minicomputer, machine-learning technology, and a mobile app. The camera takes photos of the fundus and sends them to a mobile device that can be examined by a specialist. EyePal showed 95 percent accuracy when tested on sets of fundus images."

Apart from its accuracy, the device's portability is yet another plus point as it can be employed in rural medical centres and health clinics as opposed to the standalone specialised equipment that can be used only in a doctor's office or vision testing center. "The device costs less than $100," Rohan said, adding, "It's 50 times cheaper than the average price of ophthalmology equipment, in addition to being highly portable. What I did was create this new ensemble-based system of diagnosis."

The invention won him the President's Scholarship, which refers to as a "nice surprise." Moreover, EyePal was presented at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in May in Dallas, Texas.

The inventor, who loves creating solutions and plans to work in the field of research, advices future engineers to keep going despite the obstacles. "In an engineering project, you're going to face times you want to give up, but keep persevering. Pick a project topic that you really like,” the Global Indian says, adding, "When you’re really interested in the topic, it will give you the motivation to keep pushing through."