Aadarsh Tripathy, Aarush Gupta, Aryaman Pragya

Aadarsh Tripathy (17), from India, saw how children from tribal communities can enter the criminal justice system without the support they need. Together with Aryaman Pragya (17) and Aarush Gupta (16) he realised that these cycles often begin long before incarceration. The group created E3, a program supporting children whose parents are incarcerated, while also helping incarcerated young people gain practical skills.

They developed a simple curriculum focused on sustainable production skills and trained prison administrators to run the program independently. At Cherlapally Central Jail, Hyderabad, the program reached 60 incarcerated individuals, including children in conflict with law and young offenders from economically marginalised communities.

Participants turned more than 10,000 kg of waste into products for sale, generating significant revenue for this project. The profits went directly to prisoners’ families, helping children affected by the loss of a parent’s income. By working with governments, law enforcement, prisons and NGOs, E3 is building long-term support for rehabilitation and economic opportunity.