Vishwa Solaiappan - Founder and Volunteer at TIP
Vishwa is a 16 year old student at Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Virginia. With an outgoing personality stemming from his encounters with various unique people from different cultures and backgrounds, he is able to face his challenges head on, and grow from his mistakes. His hobbies include playing tennis, hanging out with his friends, solving puzzles, and listening to music. Furthermore, with a passion for computer science, Vishwa hopes to use technology to contribute change in the world; whether it be through a program or a website.
The organization that has helped us along the way
Association for India’s Development is a volunteer movement promoting sustainable, equitable and just development. AID supports grassroots organizations in India and initiates efforts in various interconnected spheres. These include education, livelihoods, natural resources including land, water and energy, agriculture, health, and social justice.
Having been raised in India, Vishwa saw first-hand the struggles of the less fortunate, and watched others gloss over their strife, calling it “normal”. Moving to the US, he was taught Family Life Education (CPR, First Aid, and overall life skills) in his high school. This is a concept that has not yet been introduced to many schools in India where people suffer the repercussions of medical misinformation daily. Knowing this, Vishwa became aware of how valuable what he had learned in school truly was. Realizing that such information could be life-saving to the lives of millions of underprivileged individuals in India, he took up the cause and founded The India Project (T.I.P).
Challenges that Vishwa faced
While he had prior experience with public speaking on stages in front of many people, Vishwa had never had to deal with the experience of presenting unknown information in his second language, Tamil. The fear of messing up held him back. However, he understood that the information that he was providing could save and change many lives, creating a more informed and knowledgable society within rural Tamil Nadu. Vishwa disallowed mental barriers to stop him from pursuing the change he wanted to see in the world. In the process, he has gained confidence, management skills, leadership skills, life-altering insight, and a sense of satisfaction he never thought possible. Vishwa has even expanded his organization to an online platform by which content can be easily accessed, delivered, and shared in light of his physical distance from India. Vishwa hopes to serve as an inspiration not only for teachers who lack the information to speak up about sensitive topics, but for teens around the world to use anything that they are privileged with to positively influence those who are not as privileged.