Student Name: Nithya Myneni -- Finalist (High School Cohort)

Grade During 2019-2020 Academic Year: 10th grade

Hometown: Clive, IA

Sisters

Information was a commodity. Every story I was able to coax out of my parents went into the puzzle I was piecing together. It was all going towards the final product in my head: an understanding of where my family came from. An American environment was not always the safest place to explore my Indian identity, but I did my best to finish the puzzle in secret. 

A night at the dinner table five years ago ignited a new fire inside of me. My parents were discussing the water shortages going on all across India, and the first casualties of the cuts being schools. Their serious faces stopped me from commenting, but curiosity got the best of me. I pulled my dad and my brother aside and had them explain it to me again. Saline levels were too high in the water sources rural villages relied on and public facilities could not afford to purify the only water they have access to. That stuck with me. I am able to leave the classroom and get a drink of water whenever I need to. I have never had to worry about running home and disrupting my education just to sate my needs. My brother was also clearly affected, but he was able to speak up before I could. 

“This isn’t fair! I don’t want to hear this without doing anything to stop it! What would that make me? I need to help!” 

His hands shook as he was talking. As my dad went to comfort him, I felt my legs move on their own. I ran upstairs and returned with all of the money from my piggy bank. I dropped the five dollars and various coins into my brother’s hands and made him take it. When he looked at me for an explanation, I said, “I’m your first donor. Let’s do it.” 

Those were our humble beginnings. He started his project the next month. ‘Varun’s Water Initiative’. His name means water in Telugu, and that almost makes me think it was fate. We looked to everyone we knew and collected donations. While we had a large amount of support from our friends in the Indo-American community within Iowa, we received more contributions from outside of the community. Our production remained small until the Sehgal Foundation stepped in. They are a nonprofit organization based in Des Moines; so close to home and focused on raising money to improve quality of life in rural India. It was perfect. We have known the wonderful people running the foundation since before I was born, and their willingness to pick the project off of the ground made us more excited. After that, every donation we received was matched and put into a fund made for building water purification tanks. They were going to be placed on school grounds to house safe drinking water and provide for a functioning plumbing system. But as we continued to raise money, I could not help but feel left out. While I did my best to help with the project, it was always Varun’s. His face was the one attached to the flyers and fundraising dinners. This was the closest I ever felt to my heritage and yet, it still did not feel like my journey. I still felt the missing puzzle pieces. 

Two years later, and we had raised enough money to build enough tanks for two schools. The summer before Varun’s senior year, in 2017, we were invited to stay at the Sehgal Foundation’s headquarters in New Delhi and visit the schools we had helped. I could not vocalize how excited I was. This had to be the opportunity I was looking for. This was going to be the trip that would change my life. It was. 

The village in Haryana was unlike anything I had ever seen before; it was beautiful. Banyan trees swayed in the light breeze, children were running around enjoying a rare day off, and adults were working hard under the afternoon sun. I could almost imagine my family in the scene before me. As we arrived in front of the school, we were greeted with open arms and wide smiles. Walking through the gates, I looked around and immediately felt proud. The water tanks stood tall in the courtyard, painted blue and glowing under the sun. A commemorative plaque labeled with my brother’s name and the Sehgal Foundation were placed in between them. This was something I need to remember for the rest of my life. During our tour of the school, I was led around by two girls, Jahanvi and Meghana. They were in their third year and were very excited to show me everything they loved about their school. Despite the language barrier, I was still able to understand how happy they were. I could not believe that I had a part in that happening. But when we all gathered for a picture in front of the water tanks, Jahanvi reached for me and squeezed our hands together. That’s when I knew what I needed to do. 

Jahanvi, Meghana, and every little girl at that school and all over the country are at risk. India has an alarming incidence of sexual violence against women, with an average of over 35,000 assault cases filed ever year. An even larger amount of cases go unfiled and unpunished, estimated to be over 20% more than reported cases. The Indian climate when it comes to women’s rights has never been outstanding, but it only seems to be getting worse. In an era where more and more women are being encouraged to speak up about their trauma and raise awareness to the growing issue, India falls behind. There is a severe lack of support and protection for women in this very serious issue, and I believe it needs to be addressed immediately. There are far too few women’s shelters accessible around the country, and even seeking help is societal taboo. Sexual violence will not stop when it continues to be ignored. We need to extend our hands out to everyone across the world and let them know that we stand with them. The #MeToo movement has transformed the social climate of the world, and no country knows that better than the United States. We are enjoying a time here where women speaking out about their experiences are praised and encouraged. So we should hold each other up, and help our sisters in India to speak up. The country is home to so many incredible and powerful women. I have looked them in the eyes. The future has potential, and I want to help make it a reality.