Wycombe Abbey pupil receives the Diana Award for social action

Upper Sixth Wycombe Abbey pupil Ahana has been honoured with the prestigious Diana Award for going above and beyond in her daily life to create and sustain positive change.

The Award is one of the highest accolades a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts. Ahana received the Award for her social initiative and menstrual underwear brand, Saathi, dedicated to eradicating period poverty worldwide.

Ahana’s journey from authoring a book at nine years old to founding Saathi at 16 years old reflects her unwavering dedication to social impact. Recognising the pervasive issue of period poverty, she developed Saathi to provide reusable period underwear using a sustainable buy-one-give-one model. Since its inception, Saathi has donated over 5,000 units across India, Uganda, and Burkina Faso, improving the lives of over 1,000 girls and reducing reliance on disposable menstrual products. Ahana’s efforts extend beyond donations; she actively educates communities about menstrual health and destigmatising periods through workshops and partnerships while reducing environmental harm with biodegradable packaging.

Ahana said: "Winning the Diana Award for my work with Saathi, is an honour and testament to its impact in addressing this highly stigmatised issue. Saathi’s mission to provide reusable menstrual underwear through a sustainable buy-one-give-one model has reached communities in India, Uganda, and Burkina Faso, empowering young girls with dignity, health, and confidence. I would like to thank Wycombe Abbey and the KCS Foundation for their unwavering support throughout this journey."

Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons, HRH The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex. Diana Award recipients were nominated by adults who know the young people in a professional capacity and want to recognise their efforts to make a positive contribution to society. In 2024, there were over 80 volunteers representing over 30 countries, who came together in panels, read through and marked each nomination against five key criteria: vision, social impact, inspiring others, youth leadership, and social action journey. This year, the Diana Award received over 1700 nominations, making this the most competitive year yet.

Headmistress, Jo Duncan, said: "We warmly congratulate Ahana on being recognised for her entrepreneurial spirit and service through the prestigious Diana Award. We are delighted that her hard work and dedication to developing Saathi has been celebrated in this way. As a school, we look forward to seeing what Ahana does next."