Every year, the Vancouver branch of the United Nations Association in Canada celebrates UN Day by recognizing a youth or a group of youth, who are contributing towards the overall development of society in their own way. For 2015, Anjali Katta, a gender equality activist, was conferred with the John Gibbard Award for Youth, in partnership with the Unitarian Church of Vancouver. “Awards like these are not the reason I do the things I do, but they give me hope in that the community I live in understands the importance of my work and also understands the importance of the cause I am championing for. In a sense giving the issues of gender equality and the empowerment of girls the validation and the credibility they deserve,” Katta said while delivering her acceptance speech.
Katta is the CEO and founder of non-profit organization GirlsCo., that aims to educate and inform youth about issues pertaining to women and girls. GirlsCo., also works towards raising money for girls education in developing countries. A commendable program initiated by Katta is Bombay Pads. The program constitutes delivery of sanitary pads and discusses sexual education amongst children in schools and orphanages in India.
“Every girl is smart and kind and clever and strong and unique and has an equal right to happiness, safety, and freedom. If we give a girl a chance, give her the tools to believe in herself and that she truly is just as capable, imagine how different the world would be. How many mothers would be able to teach their children to value an education? How many girls would be able to stand up in class and not care about the way she looks? How many girls won’t have to have their beauty equated to their intelligence? How many girls would be able to lift, not only themselves, but their family’s out of poverty?” she added in her speech.
Katta is also the recipient of Plan Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 Award and is presently studying at Stanford University
