LUF Young Changemakers Series- A Youth-Led Initiative for Children
On a warm, bright afternoon of 28th June 2026, a group of children sat cross-legged on colourful mats under the tall trees, listening closely to someone talk about something most of us never think to ask about, that is, what happens in the very first days of a life.
That’s how our latest session in the LUF Young Changemakers Series began. The topic was “The First 1000 Days of Life,” and by the end of it, we watched children lean in, ask real questions, and start to see health and nutrition in a completely different light.
The first 1000 days-the stretch from conception to a child’s second birthday, quietly decide more than most people realise. How well a child’s brain develops, how strong their immunity is, whether learning comes a little easier, or a little harder, none of it happens in a single moment you can point to. But by the time a child turns two, so much of their story has already been written, in the meals they were fed, the care they received, the attention paid to their smallest needs and wants.
That’s exactly why we wanted young people to sit with this idea early- not as a lecture on health, but as something tied to real choices that real families make each and every single day.
So instead of standing at the front with a presentation, our team sat down with the children, in circles, in small groups, where they could feel seen and heard. There were questions about what mothers should eat, why breastfeeding matters, and what “good nutrition” even means when you’re a child yourself. Some of the older participants started connecting the dots to their own younger siblings. A few asked questions that, honestly, made the adults in the room pause and think.
We talked about how those first two years shape a child’s ability to learn, grow, fight off illness, and simply feel at home in their own body and how something as ordinary as a well-planned meal can be one of the most powerful tools a family has. It’s not a complicated idea, rather t just isn’t one we stop to explain to children often enough.
“The first 1,000 days are not just about surviving; they are about giving every child the chance to thrive.”
A Heartfelt Thank You, From Us
None of this happens on its own, only team work can make the dream work.
We are deeply grateful to Ms. Swadha Sinha, the nutritionist who led the session, for turning complicated science into something children could actually hold onto and enjoy. She answered question after question with so much patience, empathy and warmth that it was easy to see how much she genuinely cares about this work and that came through to every child sitting in that circle.
And behind every session like this, there’s a team quietly making it happen. Our team of young and passionate interns, Gaurav Sinha, Pranjal Yadav, and Anviskha Ranjan didn’t just help organise the day. They were in it: Right from designing the PPT, sitting with the children, drawing out the quieter ones, keeping the energy up right until the last question was answered, they put in their best efforts.
That’s exactly the kind of leadership we hope to keep nurturing through the LUF Young Changemakers Series.
Something to Remember
We left that afternoon thinking about something simple: children don’t need to be adults to understand big ideas. They just need someone willing to sit with them, under a tree if that’s what it takes, and talk to them like their questions matter.
That’s what the first 1000 days are really about, giving every child the best possible start. And maybe, in some small way, that’s what afternoons like this one are about too.
References
- Ministry of Women and Child Development
- Poshan Abhiyaan
- National Health Mission
- UNICEF – First 1000 Days
Written By:
Anusuya Sarma,
Project Director,
Little Umbrella Foundation (LUF)