Education

Rice Kids Founder Anakh Sawhney Expands Reach to Over 110,000 People in U.S. and India

By TOI World Desk

Anakh Sawhney began helping hungry children at age nine, and her efforts have grown into the nonprofit Rice Kids, which now supports more than 110,000 people across five U.S. states and several regions in India. Sawhney, 17, founded Rice Kids in 2018 after meeting children at homeless shelters where her family volunteered. She started by providing hot meals to children who were going hungry, then expanded the organization’s focus to address the broader barriers that keep children from accessing education and other basic support. Rice Kids now offers nutrition, education, health support, school supplies, computers, and clothing. The nonprofit partners with hundreds of shelters, community centers, and educational organizations to reach families and children in different communities. In India, Rice Kids supports children from marginalized communities, and more than half of the students it assists have returned to mainstream education. The organization also trains women from marginalized communities to become educators, helping to sustain its work locally. Sawhney has said that listening to families has been crucial in shaping the programs, noting that “the most important shifts in how Rice Kids operates have come from moments where I put the plan aside and listened to what families were actually telling me.” She was named a runner‑up in the 2026 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes and was included in The Diana Award’s 2026 Roll of Honour for inspiring others and creating positive change in her community.