Mayan Raika
No child deserves to strive for necessities like food. As citizens of the country, we have a responsibility towards the little ones of our nation. Change doesn’t begin with policy, but when compassion turns into action. Small steps matter.
Mayan Raika (17), is a Grade 11 student at Jayshree Periwal International School in Jaipur, India. Mayan was struck by a staggering statistic: one in every five children in Chhattisgarh is underweight. Knowing that the years between ages 2 and 10 shape a child’s physical and cognitive development, Mayan believed proper nutrition shouldn’t be a privilege — it’s a right.
That belief became The Tiffin Project. Rather than building something from scratch, Mayan chose to work with what already existed — connecting with government-run anganwadi centres and local schools across rural and suburban India. This meant families could rely on a system they already knew and trusted, rather than a new, unfamiliar one.
Through the project, Mayan distributes protein-rich snacks to children up to age 10 at these centres and schools, helping ensure that no child loses out on their potential simply because nutrition was missing during their most critical years of growth.
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