Empowering Kanchrapara’s journey began with a series of eye-opening visits to my mother’s hometown, Kanchrapara, Kolkata, India. Each time I returned, I was confronted with the stark reality of our community's health challenges.

Growing up in the US, I had a somewhat naive understanding of diseases like malaria, assuming they were only something of the past. However, conversations and experiences with my family showed me that malaria is a persistent threat in Kanchrapara, India, exacerbated by factors like open channels with dirty standing water, clogged drains, and neglected infrastructure and roads.

I was motivated to make a difference, so I embarked on a mission to address these issues at their core. Through grassroots efforts and community engagement in both Kanchrapara and my home in the Valley in Los Angeles, we rallied support through cultural events to raise funds for essential supplies like mosquito coils, ultra-liquid vaporizers, and drainage cleaning chemicals. Simultaneously, we advocated for municipal action, lobbying city officials to prioritize fixing the broken roads and cleaning our open drain channels.

But our efforts didn't stop there. Over time I saw the intertwined nature of public health and education, so I delved deeper into the community's needs. Going door-to-door to encourage residents not to discard waste into the open channels revealed a lack of awareness about the environmental factors contributing to mosquito breeding. In response, I initiated educational campaigns, empowering residents with knowledge to combat the problem at its source.

But my most impactful endeavor came with the realization of another pressing need: education. Witnessing firsthand the scarcity of educational resources, action needed to be taken. Funds went to providing youth in local schools with essential tools like textbooks, novels, and internet access to the interactive STEM educational program facilitated which connected students with advanced tutors, as well as speakers from the UCLA Neuroscience High School Scholars program via Zoom to foster a passion for science among youth. This initiative, known as Stem4Kanchrapara, aimed to ignite curiosity and generate pathways for the next generation.

Our journey is far from over, but each step forward brings us closer to our vision of a healthier, more empowered Kanchrapara. Together, we're building a brighter future—one where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.

- Founder Drishti Saha