Inspiring a generation TO TAKE CHARGE

Anjali receiving her award from Madam Fulbright.

It was more than four years back that Anjali Bhatia set out on her mission to motivate youth her age to work in their communities. As founder, president and CEO of Discover Worlds, she is the force behind a number of humanitarian projects spearheaded by students in their communities across US as well as now in India and Rwanda.

Anjali with her parents – Moti and Radha Bhatia.

Discover Worlds is a student-run nonprofit founded by her, which encourages young people to raise awareness and take action on global issues.

Its current venture, ChangEducate along with the Duke University focuses on developing a nationwide curriculum, lesson plan and interactive DVD to bring poverty education to high schools. This venture will allow students to learn about poverty and then take action on an issue they feel passionate about. The DVD has a built in set of activities for students to make a sustainable difference through poverty alleviating projects. These activities will be accessible through the Discover Worlds website, which will have highly interactive ways that students can learn more about poverty and what they can do.

The DVD is scheduled for nationwide distribution this winter. It will be piloted with high school freshmen in Social Studies classrooms. The DVD will then be produced in different languages and expanded to different countries with stories from social entrepreneurs unique to each region.

As a teenager Anjali was shocked when she learnt about the Genocide and poverty in Africa. “I knew of lot of students who wanted to make a change, do more than just volunteering. Who better to empower the students than students themselves I thought,” she says. With complete support of her parents she embarked on the project to establish Discover Worlds, meeting likeminded students, making presentations in leadership conferences and in the process inspiring hundreds to join her.

An internship got her to Kolkatta and Anjali seized the opportunity to encourage the youth there to start with chapters and get going with community development at their level. Visiting schools, making presentations, meeting youngsters, Anjali’s efforts paid off and the first chapter was started in August last year. “I really wanted a chance to work in India. These students are brilliant and I wanted to show them how they can use their brilliance in eradicating poverty they see everyday. They are working with slums in Kolkatta and doing incredibly wonderful work,” she says. In the future, she hopes to set up chapters in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Surat. Besides DW continues to grow its programs in other countries including Malaysia, South Africa etc.

A senior at Duke University, Anjali is focusing on her career choice that will enable her to use her education in Neuroeconomics, her experience in running an international NGO and her passion to make a difference in the world, particularly the emerging nations.

Anjali grew up in Kinnelon, New Jersey and her parents, father Moti and mother Radha, who moved to US in early 80s from Surat, have been forever supportive of their daughter’s efforts and her inspiration too. “They never told me that I need to wait till later to do what I wanted to,” she says.

Her efforts were recognized by the Iowa-based U.S Center for Citizen Diplomacy with its first National Award for Citizen Diplomacy too. “I realized that if one wishes to make a change the commitment should go deeper than volunteering. And there is no reason why we can’t do that as students,” she says.

Discover Worlds is also active in Rwanda with projects such as University Scholarship Program where in select Rwandan students find US sponsors to fund their education in Rwanda, Sponsor an Orphan program which helps people or organizations to fund children’s education and health care and a Sister School program where in students in US raise funds for the benefit of their sister school in Rwanda as well as engage in cultural exchange activities. “We wanted to create more awareness and help them get education opportunities and redeem themselves from poverty,” says Anjali.
[ BY LAVANYA GARIKINA ]