Kind 16-year-old student raises over GHC82k to offset strangers' medical bills
- Harshini Anand, a high school student, rallied well-wishers to raise funds to offset people's medical debts
- Anand started the drive as part of a school project, but the teacher cancelled it due to the pandemic
- However, the young girl went ahead with the project and partnered with a charity organisation, touching many lives
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A high school student has touched many people's hearts after raising funds for people unable to pay their medical bills.
Source: UGC
Harshini Anand, 16, worked with a non-profit organisation to benefit people from across Michigan in the US.
According to Fox 2, Anand started the program as a school project where she was tasked with finding a community service project that would have the most impact.
Medical debts
Anand said that while researching the assignment, she came across the story of a woman discharged from hospital but wished she had not as she would be paying the bill for the rest of her life.
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"I came across an article of a woman detailing her experience with medical debt. One thing that stood out to me was that she wished she had never made it out of the hospital,” the young girl said.
Assignment cancelled
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, the assignment was cancelled by her teacher, but she decided to make it her mission to help people settle medical debts.
She teamed up with RIP Medical Debt and wrote letters to friends, family and business owners seeking donations.
Anand reaches her target
“It took a lot of back-and-forth communication. But thanks to over 100 people willing to donate and hear me out as well as local businesses, we were able to reach a goal of KSh 1.6 million,” she said.
Even though her campaign is finished, for now, the teen said she would most likely pursue similar ventures.
"Just take action. Whether big or small, the first step is what matters. If I had not taken that first step and none of this would’ve happened," she encouraged others.
Student entrepreneur
In August 2021, YEN.com.gh reported that a 19-year-old student said running her online store prevented her from dating sponsors.
"Students must get a business to run while in university as it helps a lot. It gives you an independent mindset which is essential for personal growth.
It also keeps you away from immoral activities such as dating sponsors," Annita Jasmine Mbita explained.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Edwin Lamptey Edwin’s goal is to drive YEN’s entertainment desk to become the go-to location for authentic entertainment news in Ghana and the reference point for viral foreign entertainment news. He will seek to entertain and say it as it is! He holds a degree in English, History and Religion and Human Values from the University of Cape Coast.
Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.
