It's not every day that a woman in India is named Social Entrepreneur of the Year, but that's exactly what happened to 24-year-old Rituparna Chatterjee this week.
The Times of India reports she won the top honor from the Charles Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in the under-30 category for her efforts to improve the lives of the underprivileged in her home state of Kerala.
A video of Chatterjee's acceptance speech can be seen on the foundation's website.
"I wanted to be a social entrepreneur to change the world," says Chatterjee, who has set up a school for girls and a shelter for the homeless in her hometown of Alappuzha.
She's one of 46 winners in the under-30 category in India, which has the highest number of social entrepreneurs in the world, according to the Schwab Foundation.
A recent study found that India has the highest number of such entrepreneurs in the US, Australia, and China.
Chatterjee, however, isn't the only one making a difference in her home state.
Last year, a 21-year-old named Rituparna Kumar won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the under-30 category for her efforts to improve the lives of the mentally and physically disabled in her home state of Tripura.
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