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ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2024

United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. This year, 52,000+ young leaders applied to join the Class of 2024 on 6,000+ campuses across 170 nations. 280+ campuses worldwide (just 5%) were selected to host the 4,000+ Millennium Fellows.

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UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT KEERTHANA PADMATHEERTHAM VIJU, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2024.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras | Chennai, India | Advancing SDG 10 & UNAI 1

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" Empathy and compassion fueled with the purpose of changing the systemic framework to be more effective and less corrupt drive me to stay in the field of social impact. As a millennium fellow, I am excited to meet similar people with the drive to create the effect we envisioned. "

Millennium Fellowship Project: Tribe Thrive Project

The Tribe Thrive Initiative is a grassroots project focused on supporting the Irula tribe, one of Tamil Nadu’s most marginalized communities, by addressing systemic challenges in accessing government welfare. The initiative aims to empower the Irula people by bridging the gap between policy frameworks and their on-ground implementation. This includes providing tailored policy education to the community, helping them understand their rights and entitlements, and advocating for the effective delivery of benefits such as housing, healthcare, education, and livelihood support.
A significant aspect of the initiative is assisting the Irula tribe with navigating complex administrative processes, particularly those related to land ownership and resource access. Land rights remain a critical issue for the tribe, impacting their traditional livelihoods and overall well-being. By streamlining the process and providing consistent support, the project seeks to secure the tribe’s rightful access to land and resources.
The Tribe Thrive Initiative also fosters collaboration with local stakeholders, policymakers, and non-governmental organizations to ensure that government programs are inclusive and sensitive to the unique needs of tribal communities. Ultimately, the project envisions creating sustainable pathways for the Irula tribe to thrive socioeconomically, preserving their cultural heritage while promoting dignity, equity, and self-reliance.

About the Millennium Fellow

Keerthana PV is an enthusiastic and ambitious student doing her Integrated Master of Arts in English Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Born in Kerala, India, she resides in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Being from a rural background, she has always been passionate about community building and the upliftment of marginalised communities through disseminating information and making them self-reliant; she got an avenue through IViL-IIT for Villages, an organisation which gave avenues to create an impact. Combining her passion and the on-ground need, she and her team conducted multiple projects across the state of Tamil Nadu, working with various factions of the rural society. Focussing on tribal women and rural girls, they worked on training them in entrepreneurship, created a successful business model and handed it over to them, encouraged rural girls to explore STEAM for higher education, etc. In future, she aims to continue her passion and explore policy-making and making structural changes to reduce the exploitation of these communities

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