Bani Kohli VVS, Class of 2016
Founder Jai Jan, The Hunger Resolute Mensa Certified Member #16130013
I am bani kohli born in California and a citizen of the world. My early years were spent in Mexico and Los Angeles and I have had the exposure of living in India since then.
I have had the privilege of attending 2 of the best schools my domicile in India has to offer, first the American Embassy School and currently at The Vasant Valley School, New Delhi studying in the 12th grade. I am a certified Mensa member, an avid gymnast and a state level gold medallist. Currently I am in my school soccer team, playing the pre-national level [zonals].
I have been a Maths Teacher’s Assistant at American Embassy School and preferred TA for Columbia Business School's global initiative in Entrepreneurship.
Further, I speak English, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi.
I started my social business venture, Jai Jan, a food recovery network, at age 15 after witnessing tremendous food wastage at the behest of poverty in India. It has grown organically after I took a course at Columbia with Dr Jack McGourty in entrepreneurship and innovation, who is also my mentor.
At Jai Jan, my team of 8 dedicated workers and about 110 volunteers who are all students from 11 different schools in Delhi, sensitized by the cause and sheer pleasure of the outcome of action. We collect food from 12 restaurants at day end to be distributed to around 800 underprivileged people on the streets, mostly children. This food would be otherwise thrown away as mandated by the food safety complaince parameters.
Simple solution to combat hunger in India, reduce waste, recycle good food!
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/thehungerresolute I have been invited to deliver many talks about this simple and effective process and on my company Jai Jan. I spoke at the TED INDIA/INK talk at the Dasra Philanthropy week after Jennifer and Peter Buffet, wherein they named me “the youngest change maker of 2014” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jteGhTaerw0 [there is a video after a 5 second break]
http://www.dasraphilanthropyweek.org/ uploads/1/9/8/8/19885611/ dpw_agenda_ march_5-7_2014.pdf I had the god fortune of being an inaugural speaker at the Nexus India Chapter soft launch in India [young global philanthropy and social investment] and was humbled when I was invited to give a talk by Nexus in the United Nations in July 2015. I have had the good fortune to learn from luminaries like Peggy Rockefeller Dulany, Aziz Premji while sharing the dais at the "Social Enterprise Network" in January 2015 https://www.facebook.com/ thehungerresolute/ photos/ a.321425887993511.1073741831. 319950098141090/ 593071920828905/?type=1&theater . Although we have only walked a short distance, our work has been published by newspapers, TV http://food.ndtv.com/opinions/india-hunger-crisis-small-step-make-huge-difference-727483 and Earth Day.org has published our story! http://www.scribd.com/ doc/261500170/ Pathways-to-Green-Cities- Volume-II [waste not, want not page 77]
The American Embassy in India has empanelled my not- for- profit company and continues to support Jai Jan for fund raising and volunteer work.
The Embassy personnel volunteers regularly especially on the day of 9/11 which is very close to our hearts. I look forward to spreading our wings by taking Jai Jan pan india, pan Asia and dream of it one day becoming a global solution to hunger and I am working hard to engage people and their participation to help this cause.
