London: A six-year-old Indian girl who campaigns to raise awareness about deforestation and climate change was named for Britain’s daily Points of Light award on Thursday by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Aleesha Gadhia is a climate activist and mini ambassador for the UK-based charity Cool Earth. She has raised more than GBP 3,000 for the organisation, which works alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation and lobbying businesses to create sustainable practices. At her school, she also established a climate change club, encouraging students to care for the environment through activities such as litter picking and tree planting.
Gadhia is delighted to receive the award. She feels honored and grateful to have Prime Minister Boris Johnson award her and write her a letter. It is something she never imagined she would receive. ‘Climate change is a really important issue and I hope raising awareness will tackle this problem. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, including my teachers Mrs Heatlie and Mrs Wandand. Thank you also, to Cool Earth for making me their first youth ambassador,’ she said.
As part of the award, Gadhia was also recognized for writing hundreds of letters and emails to some of the UK’s largest companies and most influential people urging them to act on climate change.
Gadhia’s local MP for Rushcliffe in Nottingham, central England, Ruth Edwards, was absolutely delighted to hear Aleesha was one of the Prime Minister’s Points of Light for all her incredible work to protect rainforests and raise awareness about climate change.
During her comment, she said she had the pleasure of meeting Aleesha, who is raising money for Cool Earth. She described Aleesha as a wonderful example of what anyone can do to help save the planet. Besides saying Aleesha is deserving of the award, she also stated that she’s eager to see what the future holds for her and her campaign.
Read also: Indian users get a new design for Facebook pages
Through an online fundraiser page, Gadhia raised GBP 3,400 for Cool Earth after completing an 80-kilometer scooter challenge that received the support of Queen Elizabeth II and Sir David Attenborough.
Gadhia’s parents, Kiran and Pooja Gadhia, said: ‘We are so proud of Aleesha, she has done so much over the past year for someone so young. She has inspired us all and we hope she continues on this amazing journey.’
Gadhia becomes the 1,755th recipient of the Points of Light award, launched in 2014 to honor individuals who have made a significant contribution to their communities.
Post Your Comments