Vaishika Satheshwaran
2026 Eco-Hero
FINALIST
Vaishika Satheswaran
Age 12
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Tiny Hands: Upcycled Crafts and Youth Eco-Advocacy
At nine years old, Vaishika Satheswaran founded Tiny Hands, a sustainable initiative dedicated to reducing textile waste and promoting conscious consumerism. Guided by her motto, "small change, big impact," Vaishika collects discarded fabric scraps from local tailors and upcycles them into practical everyday items such as pouches, pencil holders and scrunchies. Having diverted tens of kilograms of fabric from landfills, she is expanding her project to repurpose retired school uniforms into eco-friendly accessories, demonstrating how creative crafting can drive circular fashion.
Beyond running Tiny Hands, Vaishika serves as the head of her school's Eco Committee, where she organizes beach cleanups, leads local turtle-watch patrols, and hosts interactive sustainability workshops. Each year for Earth Day, she handcrafts recycled paper cards embedded with environmental facts to educate her peers. Recognized with the Entrepreneur Cohort Award at the Academy of Excellence Showcase and the E-Naturalist Award, Vaishika balances her business with karate, physics, and piano while inspiring youth environmental stewardship across the UAE.
"Starting Tiny Hands taught me that small changes truly create a big impact. By upcycling discarded materials and sharing my passion, I want to show my peers that anyone can take creative action to protect our planet."
