18-year-old Neha Gupta poses with Dutch King Willem Alexander, left, after receiving the International Children's Peace Prize from South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, right, in The Netherlands (AP photo)
New York:
Neha Gupta, an 18-year-old Indian-American, today won the prestigious International Children's Peace Prize for her work to help orphans and other vulnerable children in India.
Last year's winner of this award was Malala Yousufzai, who went on to win this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Ms Gupta from Philadelphia became the first ever American to be awarded the Children's International Peace Prize in The Hague, Netherlands.
She was awarded the prize by Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu.
The prize is awarded annually to a child, anywhere in the world, for his or her dedication to children's rights.
Ms Gupta began her work when she was just a child herself, visiting her parents' native place of India nine years ago.
While carrying out a family tradition of celebrating birthdays by delivering gifts to orphans, she was struck by the condition these children were living in.
Last week, in an interview to ABC News, Ms Gupta said: "The place was just really in shambles. I didn't want to accept these things. These are things i wanted to fix."
Back home in Pennsylvania, she made a bold move, deciding to sell all of her toys to raise money for the orphans she had met in India.
"We just put it out on our driveway and people came, bought things and it turned out to be such a successful event," Ms Gupta said.
"From that one event we raised USD 700 and I have wanted to keep going," she said.
From selling crafts door-to-door and collecting corporate donations in her father's SUV, Ms Gupta continued her work.
Nine years later, now an 18-year-old college student, she runs Empower Orphans, a global charity that has raised USD 1.3 million.
The organisation reaches orphans in the US and abroad, helping to build classrooms, buy books, equip computer labs, pay for health exams, supply water and buy sewing machines to empower other young women to start their own businesses.
Last year's winner of this award was Malala Yousufzai, who went on to win this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Ms Gupta from Philadelphia became the first ever American to be awarded the Children's International Peace Prize in The Hague, Netherlands.
She was awarded the prize by Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu.
The prize is awarded annually to a child, anywhere in the world, for his or her dedication to children's rights.
Ms Gupta began her work when she was just a child herself, visiting her parents' native place of India nine years ago.
While carrying out a family tradition of celebrating birthdays by delivering gifts to orphans, she was struck by the condition these children were living in.
Last week, in an interview to ABC News, Ms Gupta said: "The place was just really in shambles. I didn't want to accept these things. These are things i wanted to fix."
Back home in Pennsylvania, she made a bold move, deciding to sell all of her toys to raise money for the orphans she had met in India.
"We just put it out on our driveway and people came, bought things and it turned out to be such a successful event," Ms Gupta said.
"From that one event we raised USD 700 and I have wanted to keep going," she said.
From selling crafts door-to-door and collecting corporate donations in her father's SUV, Ms Gupta continued her work.
Nine years later, now an 18-year-old college student, she runs Empower Orphans, a global charity that has raised USD 1.3 million.
The organisation reaches orphans in the US and abroad, helping to build classrooms, buy books, equip computer labs, pay for health exams, supply water and buy sewing machines to empower other young women to start their own businesses.
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