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se people to the experiences of children with special needs so that they understand and see things from a lens of empathy and understanding," says Jeya.

A Tinker Champ in the making

Born in Delhi, Jeya moved to Bengaluru at the age of five. An introvert with not many friends, she spent most of her time surrounded by books. "Nothing like a good read. I have always found myself drawn to the world of books," says the teen whose favourite author is Sudha Murty. But it was in Grade 7 that she first discovered Atal Innovation Mission. "It began with a message that landed on my WhatsApp school group about a Tinkerpreneur encouraging students to teach their peers about entrepreneurship. This got me intrigued," says Jeya, who began exploring the field and soon prepared a masterclass on digital skills. "Teaching students about basic PowerPoint or Excel was the beginning of my journey as a Tinker Champ." Now a Class 10 student, she create resources like boot camps, YouTube lives, and workshops to teach students from Class 6 to 12 on digital skills, innovation, entrepreneurship, and business through peer mentoring. Till now, they have impacted over 5000 students.

Supporting children with intellectual disabilities

Over the years as a Tinker Champ, she noticed a gap: the lack of attention to intellectually challenged children. "Instead of just focussing on the resources for the intellectually challenged children, the bigger problem is the stigma around them." It's something that she witnessed firsthand in her apartment. "Such children are often mocked and made fun of. From the bird's eye view, the bigger issue is the stigma and not the resources they lack," she adds. This motivated her to start Khwahish with a mission to support children with intellectual disabilities by addressing the societal stigma and providing them with necessary resources.

"I found lack of education to be the root cause as many people have no idea about intellectual disabilities, which often leads to insensitivity," explains Jeya. She began by creating a website to share her mission and vision, and started reaching out to specialists in the field. That's when she found Dr Anamika Hui, an audiologist and speech-language pathologist who works with children with intellectual disabilities, and confirmed that stigma is a huge issue. Meanwhile, Dr Anamika also cautioned her that it's a close-knit community that isn't open to the idea of collaboration. "She told me even if I intend to empower them, I will face some resistance. I took her advice seriously and started connecting with more special educators and special schools in Bengaluru to build trust," informs Jeya.

SDG 10

While interacting with one such school - Buddhi Special School - the teenager had an epiphany that to shift the perceptions of children with intellectual disabilities from sympathy to empowerment, she needed to display their talents well and "make people know what they have to offer". Inspired, she conducted an art activity and collected their artworks for a virtual reality art exhibition. "Seeing people's surprise at the children's talent was eye-opening and confirmed that there was genuine interest, which led me to conduct my first awareness session with the help of Dr Anamika." By showcasing the talents of children with intellectual disabilities, Jeya aims to create an inclusive world. "My focus is on SDG 10 - reducing inequalities by creating an inclusive world, which can be achieved by sensitising people and changing their view on other people, who might be a little different from them."

Soon interest grew, and she began organising more awareness campaigns in residential areas as well as schools. Through Khwahish, she wants to support special schools and children and work on providing accessible learning resources and guides for parents and guardians. In just a few months, she has already impacted over 120 students. "I often ask children to picture a child with an intellectual disability, and they usually imagine someone helpless or vulnerable. This is the perception I want to change," she emphasises.

A long journey

Her journey hasn't been easy as the 15-year-old had to face a lot of criticism initially with many doubting her qualifications to work with or raise awareness about children with special needs. "I was told that working with specially-abled children or even spreading awareness about them required a certification. And I had no authority to speak on them. But I stood my ground and told them that one needed passion and the drive to conduct awareness campaigns more than certifications." Many adults dismissed her effort as a mere project due to her age and she even found many students indifferent to the cause. "Since special schools and regular schools are different, not many meet children with special needs daily. Hence, it's hard for them to understand them or know how to behave or react." She often uses the example of braces to make children understand the concept. "I tell them that if they had never seen braces before, they might mock a friend wearing them. But it’s just something normal. The same logic applies to children with special needs. However, changing perceptions takes time," adds Jeya, who believes early intervention is crucial as young minds are easy to influence as they are still far away from rigid beliefs.

Despite the challenges, Jeya has found support from a few people who have become her collaborators. "They believed in me and the cause and were always ready to help," she says. However, she acknowledges that changing perceptions is a long journey. A crucial moment in her mission was her visit to Buddhi Special School in Bengaluru, where an interaction with the coordinator, Mrs Rekha, deeply impacted her. "She told me that these kids have no idea how much stigma they will face the moment they step out into the real world. Most kids are mocked and bullied. Some kids, who need special care, are separated from their parents and stay in the premises all the time since their parents don't have the training or the skillset to take care of them. That's why special schools become important." Realising the challenges that these children might face in the real world, Jeya wants to step in and pull the plug on this by creating as much awareness so that these kids feel equally safe in the outside world. "I want the awareness impact to go into thousands for neurotypical people, especially children so that the world becomes more inclusive."

Jeya, who calls herself a bibliophile, calls awareness a two-way learning process. "When you are spreading awareness, you are in turn learning a lot in the process," says the teenager. She began Khwahish with a passion for working for children with intellectual disabilities and is on a mission to make a more inclusive world. "It's important to go with the flow, and have a growth mindset where you do not quit."

arents discussing suitors for her and her sister, who is two years older than her. That very moment her heart sank as she reminisced the times, she watched innumerable little girls in her village being married off to strangers at such a tender age, and the idea made her uneasy and claustrophobic. "Watching them, I knew that this was wrong—children shouldn't be put through this," she told Reader's Digest. Despite the cards dealt to her, she was determined to change her destiny, even if it meant standing up against the old-age traditions and elders. She blatantly refused marrying at a young age, and even protested against her sister's marriage proposal. However, she was met with strong dissent. "Marrying off children young was considered auspicious (in my village)," she added.

But not the one to bow, she kept standing firm until she found courage from an unexpected source in 2012. That's the year that destiny intervened when the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), an organisation dedicated to the welfare of children, selected Hinsla as a pilot village for their child-friendly village initiative. This initiative aimed to transform the village into a safe and nurturing environment for children, emphasising their right to education, healthcare, and protection against exploitation. It was BBA founder, Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi and his wife, Sumedha Kailash's interaction with the community on child's right to education and healthcare that turned out to be an inspiration for Priya. This turning point in Payal's life not only provided her with an opportunity for personal growth but also fuelled her passion to fight for the rights of children.

Inspired by the work of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Payal became an active advocate for children's rights, particularly the eradication of child marriage, especially after the Satyarthis helped put a stop to her marriage and convinced her parents if the dangers of child marriage. It was the change in the attitude of her parents that encouraged her to tirelessly worked to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of early marriage on young girls, their health, education, and overall well-being. Through various campaigns, she engaged with community members, parents, and local authorities, educating them about the importance of allowing girls to pursue their dreams, rather than burdening them with the responsibilities of marriage at a tender age.

It was in 2013 that she was elected as the sarpanch of Bal Panchayat - a platform where children to freely talk about their issues to a leader who could in turn help come up with solutions after coordinating with village panchayats. "With 11 members of the Children’s Parliament, we started raising our voice against the ban on child labour and child marriage around the village. As most of the girls were pushed into child labour, farming and household work, nobody was sending their daughters to school to complete their studies," she told New Indian Express.

The Global Indian organised protests and educated the community on the oppressive practices of domestic abuse, child labour, ghoonghat pratha. However, she was met with fierce opposition as many people turned her away for "spoiling their kids with radical ideas". But she didn't give up.

Payal's efforts did not go unnoticed. Not only in 2019, when she was just 17 years old, she was honoured with the prestigious 'Goalkeepers Global Goals Changemaker Award' by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation but no instances of child marriage have been reported in her village since then. This recognition served as a testament to her relentless dedication and inspired others to join her cause. Through her courage and determination, Payal Jangid had become a beacon of hope for girls not only in her village but across the globe.

Her efforts have contributed tremendously to making the children of Alwar commit to attending school and completing school. The 20-year-old, who aspires to be a teacher, is also the brand ambassador of Alwar’s ‘Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao’ programme.

[caption id="attachment_30496" align="aligncenter" width="366"] Payal Jangid met Barack Obama in 2015 during his visit to India[/caption]

Her remarkable journey is a testament to the power of one individual's determination to create a better world. Payal's fight against child marriage has not only transformed her own life but has also sparked a wave of change in her community. The impact of her work goes beyond merely preventing early marriages; it has instilled hope and empowered countless young girls to dream big and pursue their aspirations.

Her story serves as a reminder that no matter how deeply rooted traditions may be, change is possible. It takes courageous individuals like her to challenge societal norms, inspire others, and pave the way for a brighter future. Through her activism, Payal Jangid has proven that age is not a barrier to making a difference and that even the smallest of actions can have far-reaching consequences. "Many resign themselves, to the way things are, far too easily. Everyone must challenge injustice and not run away or hide from problems. With strength and cooperation, even the toughest minds can be changed," she added.