Ridhika Jaju, the daughter of Govind and Rashmi Jaju of Vadgaon, Belagavi is barely 11 years old but has already raised substantial amounts to donate to causes close to her heart. She has already donated exam boards to Govt. School students, provided groceries for a Boarding school for underprivileged students and is now looking to raise more money from her venture for something bigger.
It all started at her 9th Birthday when her mother Rashmi, treated Ridhika and her friends to Pizza, which incurred a large bill. Ridhika was stunned to see that her birthday incurred so much amount and decided that henceforth she would not make her parents spend money on her. She took it so seriously that she started exploring ways to raise money to give to those in need, but fundraising was not an option since people turn down requests many times.
Ridhika is a deeply spiritual child at heart. She got deeply affected after hearing people’s woes and feels that one must give back to society as early as possible because life is unpredictable. Her sole aim was to be able to do good deeds and gain blessings from others through our actions. She frequently discussed this with her mother who saw how passionate she was and decided to let her explore how she could earn. It was then that her father, Govind Jaju bought her a ready- to- use soap kit. This idea clicked with Ridhika and she decided to study soap making online. With her mother’s help, she ordered her raw materials online and made a few soaps to gift to teachers and friends for Diwali.
Everyone loved her soaps and her teacher asked her to make some more for gifting. Ridhika created her own brand Ridhika’s handmade Soaps and also some premium packaging. Initially she started with the regular soaps like coffee, aloe vera, chocolate, etc.
Matters took a serious turn when she started getting more orders and her parents felt it would affect her studies. Today, Ridhika accepts orders which she fulfills steadily. She also customizes the soaps by studying the process online and reading about it. She accepts party orders, baby shower orders and more. She has kept a box where all the money earned from the soaps is deposited. Once a large amount is saved, the amount is used for a social cause. Ridhika has shown that age or education is never a barrier to giving back to society and with the right zeal and dedication, one can start from wherever we are, doing whatever we can.