UniHawk mentee champions financial literacy for underprivileged women in India

Dubai student, Yug Sancheti, has taken his passion for finance and entrepreneurship beyond the classroom to help young women in India gain the skills they need to achieve economic independence and stability. A mentee of university guidance experts UniHawk, Yug, joined forces with the social impact platform, Tribes for Good, to support underprivileged women in developing their financial literacy through education and entrepreneurship.

At just 15 years old, the Grade 11 GEMS Modern Academy student demonstrated that age is no barrier to making a real-world impact when he set out to develop and deliver a six-week financial literacy program for women aged 16 to 25. The program aimed to equip participants with essential knowledge of saving, investing, and managing funds to help them build sustainable livelihoods through budgeting and financial goal setting. Over 40 participants benefited from the program, delivered to women in need in collaboration with community organisations such as the Calcutta Foundation.

To extend his impact beyond education, Yug also launched a crowdfunding campaign on Milaap to support female-led microbusinesses. These start-ups, driven by local women, have since flourished, helping individuals and families become more financially resilient. Among the program’s beneficiaries was Sima Kundu, who successfully purchased a second-hand sewing machine and has already started tailoring garments, enabling her to take a confident step toward financial independence. The initiative, developed with the guidance and mentorship of Tribes for Good founder Mandeep Kaur, has also had a ripple effect across communities, with more women inspired to explore entrepreneurship as a route into the workforce.

Explaining his motivation to lead these impactful initiatives, Yug said, “I’ve always felt that creating a better understanding of how finances work can be a force for good in underprivileged communities. The women we work with face limited access to financial knowledge and opportunities, so I wanted to help bridge that gap, to bring clarity and empowerment to their future.”

Reflecting on the experience, Yug added, “Supporting these women has been an enriching journey, seeing them grow more financially confident with each session and begin applying what they learnt to their own situations. Raising the enterprise funding allowed me to witness firsthand how financial education can change lives, as women transformed their ideas into a source of income and personal pride. It was an amazing opportunity for me to learn while helping others improve their way of life.”

Yug’s work with Tribes for Good is just one of many ways he has given back to the community through social impact initiatives. His journey in women’s empowerment began with teaching IT skills to girls in orphanages. With fellow co-founder, Kashish Sancheti, Yug established Voices of Vision, a free program designed to strengthen communication and computer literacy among children aged 8 to 14. Over time, he expanded this initiative to support underprivileged women through structured financial literacy programs.

At school, Yug participates in sustainability initiatives, including a paper-recycling initiative aimed at reducing waste and promoting environmental awareness. With his passion for business, finance, and economics, he balances his academics with extracurricular pursuits such as debating and football, always seeking opportunities to further his personal growth.

Yug credits UniHawk for helping him to find direction and purpose through mentorship and exposure to meaningful community initiatives. He concluded, “UniHawk has helped me understand how my interests align with global challenges. They encouraged me to explore my passions beyond academics and think about how I can contribute to society, which is what motivated me to get involved in Tribes for Good.”