An Indian-origin student, Netra Vekatesh, has won the Legacy Award at the 25th anniversary of The Diana Award ceremony held in UK. The award was presented by Prince William and Prince Harry in London last week.
The 17-year-old girl, who lives in Dubai, runs SpunkGo, a global volunteer initiative empowering girls, which she set up four years ago at the age of 14. SpunkGo works on bridging the gap between basic education and practical knowledge. It offers programs on mental health, communication, career guidance. The organisation has so far provided support to more than 5,000 people from more than 20 countries. The group has volunteers in more than 20 location across the world.
“It was an honour to receive this award from Prince William and Harry. I thank the Diana Award team for the useful workshop they held for the awardees ahead of the awards ceremony. I am most happy for the further recognition this brings to the 5,000-plus girls of SpunkGo. This award will go a long way to further our cause of empowering girls across the developing world via education,” Venkatesh, told Gulf news.
Venkatesh is a student at Dubai International Academy. She narrated about the struggles she had to face as a youngster when she ventured out to work towards social welfare.
“The biggest challenge that I faced when I was first starting out is not having enough credibility. A 14-year-old approaching you and asking you to speak in a webinar for a bunch of people sounded a bit shady. I think the Diana Foundation and the Diana Award have really helped me build credibility, which will help me get higher quality speakers with more experience in specific topics,” Venkatesh told National News.
Dr Tessy Ojo, chief executive of the Diana Award was quoted as saying by The National News, “As we mark the start of our 25th anniversary year, these young people couldn’t be a more fitting tribute and legacy to Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and her belief that young people have the power to change the world.”
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