SRIKAKULAM: Shraavya Pydisetti, a 17-year-old girl with roots in Srikakulam, started Projectquerencia.org, a non-profitable organisation to serve the poor and needy, with the help of her high school friends in the United States. The organisation has so far served 23,000 people in India as well as in the US. Now, she is planning to expand her organisation’s reach to a global level. Her father Venugopal, an IT professional originally from Srikakulam, had moved to Dallas in 2013 to work for Tech Mahindra.
During the Covid pandemic, Shraavya, who was in class 12 at Coppell Middle West School, decided to start her organisation after witnessing the plight of the destitute. She shared her idea with her father, mother and her school friends. Later, she started Querencia on June 19, 2020 along with her high school friends. They initially raised funds by giving tuitions, making and selling artefacts and paintings. Later, they started an online fundraising drive.
She has been serving the poor and needy through six chapters and 180 members across the US. The organisation started its services in India recently. She is planning a global expansion, with special focus on India. She has toured across India and launched the local chapter in Chennai, where ha she studied till Class 7, and Srikakulam, her hometown.
She has been offering medical essentials to doctors, medical staff and frontline workers; food and books to the poor and needy; and voluntary services to save nature. Speaking to TNIE, Shraavya said, “I felt like I had to do something to help people during the Covid pandemic. We have made products like mugs and greeting cards, done paintings and sold them to raise funds.” Shraavya said 180 high school students have joined the organisation voluntarily.
“We have served as many as 23,000 poor and needy people by providing food, books and other essentials. We have distributed medical essentials like blood pressure apparatus, disinfect sprays, disinfect wipes, soaps, hand wash, gloves, masks, etc to doctors, medical staff, sanitation workers, drivers and pregnant women during the Covid pandemic. Now we have six chapters -- Coppell, Prosper, Frisco and Plano of Texas, Edison of New Jersey and Bay Arena of California,” she explained.