At 9, she started feeding hungry children; now her nonprofit has reached over 110,000 people

Anakh Sawhney was nine years old when she began helping children who did not have enough food to eat. Her effort has since grown into a nonprofit supporting more than 110,000 people across five US states and several regions in India.Anakh, now 17, founded Rice Kids in 2018 after meeting children at homeless shelters where her family volunteered.

Their circumstances made her think about how she could help. She began by focusing on one immediate need: providing food to children who were going hungry.Over the years, however, her work expanded beyond meals.

Rice Kids now focuses on addressing the reasons that keep children from accessing education and other basic support. Its programmes include nutrition, education, health support, school supplies, computers and clothing.The organisation has also built partnerships with hundreds of shelters, community centres and educational organisations.