Aanya Gouravaram, a Grade 11 student at Oakridge International School in Nanakramguda, Hyderabad, is changing lives through her initiative called “Finance For Her”. Her mission is simple but powerful — to help rural and low-income women learn how to manage their money.
Through this initiative, Aanya and her team hold interactive financial literacy workshops across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. These sessions focus on practical money skills that many women have never been taught. Her goal is to make sure that every woman, no matter her background, feels confident and capable of handling her own finances.
“Financial literacy is a basic right,” says Aanya. “It’s the first step toward real empowerment.”
The workshops go over everyday financial topics in simple terms. Women learn how to tell the difference between needs and wants, how to budget, save money, borrow wisely, manage debt, and use banks effectively. The idea is to break the old belief that only men should handle money.
So far, more than 700 women have benefited from these sessions. In one recent event held in Appareddy Pally in Madgul Mandal, located in Ranga Reddy District, Aanya teamed up with fellow student volunteers Ojas Dhaveji Chakravadhanula from Oakridge and Yashita Chereddi from Aga Khan Academy. Together, they taught 250 women about saving money and dealing with debt.
“The way they listened and participated was amazing,” Aanya shared. “They were eager to learn, and we hope this knowledge helps not just them, but their families too.”
With each session, Finance For Her is planting seeds of financial confidence. These women are now better prepared to make smart money decisions — a change that ripples through their homes and communities.
