Meet Maya

I’m Maya Baijal, I am a freshman at UCLA (Univerisity of California, Los Angeles)

I was born in Goa, India, and spent the first two years of my life living in an orphanage in Mumbai. At age two, I was fortunate to find an adoptive family and moved to New York.

During a trip to India when I was around ten years old, I saw a little girl my age selling fruit at a fruit stall, and I remember wondering what challenges she faced as a girl. It was in that moment that I realized that I could have been her, and ever since, I have made it my mission to give back and help support young girls in developing countries.

In the summer of 2019, I discovered Udayan Care, a non-profit organization that supports, houses, and educates orphaned children in India. As a volunteer there, I taught English and math to girls ages 7-18. My experience at the orphanage taught me that girls from all over the world and every socioeconomic background face similar health challenges, but that a disadvantaged socioeconomic status exacerbates them.  

Unable to return to Udayan Care this summer due to the pandemic, I was determined to find a way to raise money for them. In June 2020, I co-founded Project Double M, a virtual summer camp that expanded to a yearlong free tutoring program supporting over 50 children across New York City. We suggest donations instead of charging a fee and have raised over $5,000 for Udayan Care! 

As I continued to reflect on my experience at Udayan Care, I became increasingly interested in trying to help them further, particularly with their health issues. I decided to create Girls’ Global Health, where I hope to unite young women from across the globe who are interested in global health issues. Together, we can build awareness and generate ways to directly help girls in developing countries get the medical care they deserve.