A 21-year-old student of Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College has received the coveted Diana Award for advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and empowering young changemakers

Devanshi Ranjan, a final-year student, has been working with NGO Ladli Foundation Trust to help underprivileged children, especially girl students, with their studies amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the award is considered the “highest accolade” a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts. It is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons — the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.

“I found out that I will be honoured with the Diana award on May 5. I was extremely elated but couldn’t share the news with anyone except for my immediate family till the commencement of the virtual ceremony on June 28,” Ranjan told PTI.

“My work centered around the Covid-19 pandemic relief work. A number of surveys and reports showed an increase in the number of drop-outs in schools, especially the female students, as availing education online was not affordable for all. I worked with NGO Ladli Trust and under its programme ‘Pathanshala’ conducted workshops and educated students from slums and villages,” she added.

Ranjan during this period taught over 1,000 children in the slums across New Delhi. She also distributed books, stationery and other resource material in the semi-urban and rural areas of Delhi-NCR.

“We congratulate all our new Diana Award recipients from the UK and all over the globe who are changemakers for their generation. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens,” said Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award during the virtual award ceremony.

The Diana Award, given to people under the age category 9-25 years, was conferred on 400 people globally.

The award recipients have been put forward by adults who know the young people in a professional capacity and recognise their efforts as a positive contribution to society.