NATIONAL (India CSR): At just 17, Ameya Meattle is making India proud by embodying a rare combination of technical innovation and human compassion. At 14, he founded his social enterprise — Earth First, that helps visually impaired individuals earn and learn by creating eco-friendly products. Through partnerships with 8 NGOs in Singapore and India, Earth First has trained over 100 visually impaired students and launched 23+ sustainable product lines, including tote bags, jute placemats, and macrame planters which were sold through retail channels in Singapore working closely with NGOs, Ameya has designed products and training processes that provide step-by-step guidance to visually impaired individuals, to ensure real skills and confidence. He raised more than $12,000 each dollar has been reinvested to further support and upskill the lives of visually impaired individuals.
Ameya represents a rare combination of technical innovation and human compassion. He championed a Python training program for 50+ visually impaired students, not only developing training modules but also helped NGO’s adopt and scale this program. Ameya has helped the visually impaired students carve new career opportunities – into a more technical and skilled ecosystem, beyond just making mundane diyas. In addition, he has designed an audio-guided navigation device for the Project Canary team, which helps visually impaired individuals move safely through indoor spaces like schools, hospitals, museums, and galleries. The innovation has attracted interest from CURE India, St. Stephen’s Hospital, and Maitreyi College, Delhi University.
“We have partnered with multiple NGOs to work collaboratively as visually impaired individuals don’t want to be objects of charity, they too crave opportunities to engage with the world as equals.” said Ameya Meattle, Social Entrepreneur. “Our goal is to improve the lives of visually impaired children through education, innovation, and skill development. By empowering them, we’re also contributing to India’s overall growth.”
One of Ameya’s most valuable contributions has been his development of a VR-based diagnostic game to assess visual acuity. Traditional charts that test acuity are often disengaging, especially for children, yet Ameya envisioned and built a gamified tool that could turn eye tests into immersive experiences. Working under the supervision of a MIT professor Dr Pawan Sinha, this diagnostic tool has been piloted both at the Sinha lab at MIT and with an initiative, Project Prakash in India. This tool will be used by hundreds of visually impaired students annually. Importantly, this diagnostic is not limited to standard pre-screening; it will be used with children both before and after surgery, providing a valuable opportunity to track visual improvement longitudinally.
(India CSR)
