Most dinner table conversations at Kashvi Jindal’s home were usually around business and finance.
The discussions with her father would run for hours, leaving Kashvi more intrigued about the financial world.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit our nation, Kashvi was researching cryptocurrencies while writing a paper.“During my research, I came across a variety of financial instruments that are available for the lower-income class in India… but they were not aware of them,” she says.
She adds, “I saw the immense financial pressure they were under in the initial phases of the pandemic and they had to use up all their savings to make ends meet.”
Another incident that pushed her further onto the path was the death of a domestic worker in their society.
“He was the sole breadwinner of the family, and his death caused great financial distress to them. They went into debt to do his last rites and must be still repaying it,” she says.
This is how the idea of ‘Invest The Change’ came to Kashvi.
She started conceptualising the idea in 2021, and by 2022, she was ready with a plan and the organisation was launched.So far, she has helped 3,000 domestic workers, bus drivers, and wage workers gain financial literacy.
She has also helped them avail benefits of eligible government schemes — such as Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).
The organisation intervenes at three levels — they first educate them, then help them through the entire enrolment processes of several schemes, and finally, follow up on whether they actually receive the aid or not.
Currently in school, Kashvi says that she has prioritised what is more important in her life. “It can become quite challenging to manage both things simultaneously, but I compartmentalise what I need to do at the given moment,” she says.