13 year-old Saanvi Kaushik from Cork City has won the Technology category at Technovation, a global competition that saw 5,900 girls from 60 countries develop 1,700 mobile apps that solve community problems.
Stellar, the App developed by Saanvi, was selected as the best in the Technology category beating entries from all over the globe.
Saanvi who is 13 years old developed Stellar, an easy-to-navigate app, to provide timely and affordable Paediatric Occupational Therapy services to children that need them.
Saanvi’s mother is an Occupational Therapist and during lockdown she saw first hand her parent’s struggle to deliver care. Stellar provides a safe platform to Occupational Therapists so they can deliver remote appointments, monitor progress, and develop individualised programmes for children.
Speaking about the development of her App Saanvi said:
“There are currently 30,000 children waiting for Occupational Therapy in Ireland and these waiting times are only getting worse due to COVID-19. As the lists get longer more children are suffering. I thought there must be a way to use technology to tackle this.”
“I hope that Stellar will support families by providing high-quality content developed by experienced Occupational Therapists and allowing them to search for these services in their localities. Every child, no matter where they live, should have access to the highest quality services.”
Saanvi developed Stellar with the help of Teen-Turn, a charity that works to tackle the low number of women from underserved areas and underrepresented communities who are attaining third level qualifications in STEM.
Pre-Covid Saanvi would have had travelled to California for the pitch event and to receive her award. Although Saanvi couldn’t make the trip and meet the other girls from all over the world who entered Technovation, she still feels proud to be recognised.
“I am so happy to have received this award. I believed that Stellar was a good idea and I think that the App I have developed could really make a difference for many children and their families.”
