Bengaluru, 11th December 2023: Niharika Nair, an aspiring Human Rights activist and an emerging leader in the 1M1B (1 Million for 1 Billion) program has advocated for Marginal Communities with Project Tribali. Through the project, she addresses the unnoticed human rights violations faced by India’s unrecognised tribal communities. 1M1B (1 Million for 1 Billion) engages and enables youth to become future-ready problem solvers creating real-world impact. Established in 2014, 1M1B is a United Nations accredited non-profit with special consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is associated with the UN Department of Global Communications.

Niharika is a grade 11 student of Ekya Schools, moved by the challenging circumstances faced by indigenous people, decided to be the voice for tribal communities. Through this project, she has impacted over a thousand families, helped them in securing essential documents, organised health camps, and promoted sustainable initiatives. Her revolutionising campaign has directly impacted 1,000 families across Kerala and Karnataka. She also organised a tree-planting initiative in Coorg.

“Numerous organisations and initiatives are dedicated to the broad spectrum of human rights protection, yet the rights of indigenous communities often remain neglected,” said Niharika. Furthermore, she said “They endure a minimum of six daily human rights violations. Within India’s 461 Scheduled Tribes spread across all states, there are approximately 174 tribes that remain unrecognised, thereby denying them access to fundamental necessities such as land, water, and shelter. These communities face discrimination, harassment, and exploitation, and they experience alarmingly low levels of literacy and high mortality rates, consistently residing below the poverty line.

Niharika initiated Project Tribali as part of the 1M1B Future Leaders program. In recognition of her continuous efforts, She presented her project titled ‘Tribali’ at the 1M1B Youth Summit. The summit was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on November 30, 2023. This marked her first time addressing a worldwide audience. Niharika aspires to foster global collaborations and elevate her project to new heights.