Investing in children’s well-being to unlock India’s potential

“If you could be anyone, anywhere in the world in the next 10 years, where would you want to be?”

I asked my 9-year old student, baffled, and she replied, “I will probably still be here, picking up garbage and earning 20 rupees (26 cents) a day like my parents”.

It is during this conversation that I realized how each child’s potential and aspirations can be defined by the reality that they come from.

At age 16, I started teaching in under-resourced public schools across India. Being a part of one of the largest education systems in the world gave me a holistic understanding of how education is not limited to what happens in a classroom. 

I was wide-eyed and full of dreams, wanting only the best for my students. But life changed when I lost two of my students—both girls, full of potential and hope. And for no other reason than where they came from. 

That moment changed everything for me. It made me ask tough questions. What are we doing? How are we, as a society, failing our children? I realized that while I may have been a good teacher, I wasn’t preparing my children for the real adversities they faced outside the classroom.

To solve this, my co-founders and I began Labhya, an India-based education non-profit on a mission to ensure well-being for India’s most vulnerable children. 

Stress as a barrier to learning

India, one of the youngest countries in the world, is home to over 400 million children (data source: UNICEF). Many of our children come from backgrounds that are financially, physically, and emotionally vulnerable. For generations, these adversities have held them back—not just from education, but from realizing their full potential as individuals.

Poverty is an economic issue, but what often gets overlooked is its negative impact on our children’s well-being. When we fail to address this, we hinder their ability to learn and grow, trapping them in a cycle of adversity.

This is where education plays a crucial role. But, it’s not just about getting children to school. It is about creating safe spaces where they can express themselves, learn, grow, and build the essential skills that will help them become healthy, effective learners.

Hence, Labhya works in public schools in India to tackle this challenge at scale. 

The Power of Well-being

Well-being is a powerful catalyst for India’s future. Research demonstrates that every dollar invested in children’s well-being yields an $11 return in the form of health, education and employment outcomes. In today’s fast-changing world, having access to skills that ensure mental health well-being is an imperative, but is often only looked at as a luxury. 

To solve this, we at Labhya partner with India’s state governments to co-create and embed mental health and well-being programs for vulnerable children in public schools. These programs are highly localized, incorporating experiential learning and social-emotional skills. Children learn to be in the present and engage in storytelling, interactive activities, and reflection sharing. Today, over 2.4 million children across 22,000 public schools in India experience these programs every day!.  

Our programs have a deep impact on children’s well-being and learning. Through Labhya’s programs, our children have increased emotional resilience, improved relationship skills, and have higher motivation to learn. Further, children’s academic performance and overall school participation have improved significantly. 

Due to the initiative and leadership of our partner state governments and the dedication of public school teachers, India is at the cutting edge of research and action for children’s well-being. This is an opportunity for us to uplift an entire generation out of poverty and adversity.

Well-Being as a Catalyst for Nation-Building

Despite its transformative potential, children’s mental health and well-being remains an underfunded and under-resourced area. Globally, less than 2% of global philanthropy is directed towards mental health and well-being, with an even smaller fraction allocated to children’s mental health. We need to bridge this gap by bringing it to the forefront of global conversation. By substantially investing in the mental health and well-being of our children, we’re laying the groundwork for a stronger, more resilient nation. 

Imagine a generation of children who grow up resilient, capable of navigating adversity, and equipped with the essential skills to build strong, supportive communities. These children will become adults who solve complex problems and create sustainable solutions. They are the innovators, leaders, and change-makers who will drive economic growth, foster social cohesion, and lead the way for a healthier, happier nation.

At Labhya, we are making this vision a reality by building a movement for children’s well-being. Our work is already impacting millions of lives, and we are just getting started. We are scaling our programs across the nation, with the audacious goal of impacting 30 million children by 2030! 

As we look ahead, the choices we make today in investing in our children’s well-being will define the trajectory of our nation and the world. We invite you to join the global movement and invest in our children’s well-being today! 

About Labhya

Labhya is an India-based nonprofit that aims to enable children from low socio-economic backgrounds with the necessary social & emotional skills to cope with poverty and become effective learners. Founded in 2017, Labhya has been supported by Harvard University, DRK Foundation, Mulago Foundation, and UNICEF among other organizations. Labhya has also been supported by musician and philanthropist Selena Gomez’s Rare Impact Fund.

Labhya partners with Indian state governments to co-create and embed mental health & well-being programs into the school day. Labhya’s programs impact 2.4 million vulnerable children across 3 states of India are able to cope and become healthy, effective learners.

About the Author

Richa is the co-founder of Labhya and a teacher-turned entrepreneur. 

Her passion for education stems from her lived experience as a child and her extensive work with children from the age of 16. During her journey, she has worked with education non-profits like Teach For India and Teach For All. She has been recognised by the Takeda Foundation as the ‘Best Entrepreneur 2019’. Richa was also listed as the Rising Talent 2020 by the Women’s Forum For The Economy & Society.

Richa is a DRK Entrepreneur, a Mulago Rainer Fellow, and was featured in the Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 list. The United Nations Secretary-General and UN Youth Envoy office have awarded the prestigious recognition “Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” to Richa, among only 16 other leaders globally. Richa has shared Labhya’s journey at prestigious global spaces like the United Nations Headquarters and the World Bank. 

Richa has a Master’s in Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she also served as an Equity & Inclusion Fellow, Harvard Ministerial Leadership Fellow and Education Entrepreneurship fellow.