Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do: CA Topper from Amitabh Shah led NGO Yuva Unstoppable’s Educational Scholarship Awardees

Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do: CA Topper from Amitabh Shah led NGO Yuva Unstoppable’s Educational Scholarship Awardees

Girls’ education has become a national priority in India since the last few years. And Yuva Unstoppable, a top Indian-based non-profit organization founded by veteran social entrepreneur Amitabh Shah and vigorously supported by his wife Mrs Rashmi Shah, is by no means falling behind this trend. With a vision to empower the underprivileged youth of the country, especially girls, it has supported close to a hundred girls complete their education in 2018-19 alone and put them on a path to achieving self-sufficiency through its Education Scholarship Program launched few years back. Vaishanavee Panchal, one of the Yuva Unstoppable scholarship awardees, recently made it to the top 35 in CA Foundation exams with an All India Rank (AIR) of 22! Vaishanavee is the daughter of a humble clerk who dreamt of becoming a Chartered Accountant (CA). But due to malnourishment and vitamin deficiency, her right hand stopped functioning as she entered grade XII. However, this did not discourage her from pursuing her dreams and soon she learnt to write with her left hand, despite being right-handed. Just as the exams were approaching, her mother fell ill and all the household chores fell on Vaishanavee’s shoulders. Right from sweeping and cooking to keeping the house in order, it was far from easy! But the girl was firm and resolute as a rock. Her commitment and devotion finally paid off when she scored 99.99% in 12th Commerce and was among the top 12 in Gujarat in 2019! From then onwards, there was no looking back. She focussed all her energies on clearing her CA Foundation exams. “I made a study timetable and ensured that it was followed daily without fail. I took things one at a time and that helped me fight all odds. I strongly believe that tough times never last, but tough people do”, revealed a strong-headed and confident Vaishanavee. “We did not have enough resources to support her and due to that she also suffered a lot in her studies. When her right hand stopped functioning, it was like a nightmare. But she did not give up and that gave us strength too. Today, she has made our entire family and community proud”, added her father. “Vaishanavee is a True Hero indeed. Our vision is to identify many more deserving and needful students like her in India and empower them to become independent and self-sufficient through our education initiatives. An educated woman is the key to an empowered and prosperous community.” “I am thankful to Amitabh Shah and Yuva Unstoppable for thinking about girls like me and giving us a chance to make our mark. There are so many students out there who want to study and make it big in life but do not have enough financial support. For students like us, Yuva Unstoppable has come as a boon and Amitabh Shah as an angel”, says Vaishanavee. Yuva Unstoppable ensures that the neediest of needy children are selected for its merit scholarship programme through a vigorous and transparent selection process that involves an eligibility exam, document verification, house visits, and regular monitoring of the candidates’ progress. The students are provided with constant support and guidance during the scholarship period as well as their parents are also counselled from time to time. The NGO aims to empower thousands of girls like Vaishanavee through their Scholarship programme.