The 17-year-old Vasant Valley School student has been recognised for combining compassion, technology and community action to improve the lives of India's stray dogs.
At an age when most students are focused on examinations and future career choices, 17-year-old Kushal Sachdeva has already established an animal welfare organisation, developed technology-enabled solutions for community dogs and taken his advocacy to national platforms.
The Delhi student, who founded Protect Paws Foundation, has now received The Diana Award 2026, an international honour recognising young people making a meaningful difference through social action and humanitarian initiatives.
Sachdeva was recognised during the award's international virtual ceremony on 4 November 2026, joining young changemakers from across the world.
Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, The Diana Award celebrates young individuals who demonstrate sustained commitment to improving their communities.
A Journey That Began During the Pandemic
Sachdeva's involvement in animal welfare began in May 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, when he was just 11 years old.
With restaurants, markets and other establishments closed, many street animals had lost access to regular food sources. Moved by their plight, he began feeding dogs in his neighbourhood.
What started as a simple act of compassion gradually evolved into a larger initiative involving feeding programmes, veterinary assistance, rescue operations and community awareness.
Today, that initiative operates as Protect Paws Foundation, a registered Section 8 nonprofit organisation dedicated to improving the welfare of India's community dogs.
According to the foundation, its initiatives have helped feed and care for more than 1,500 stray dogs, fitted over 450 dogs with reflective QR-coded collars, facilitated more than 200 vaccinations and 110 sterilisations, and rescued over 30 animals.
The organisation has also raised more than $13,000 to support its animal welfare activities.
Bringing Technology into Animal Welfare
One of Sachdeva's most distinctive contributions has been integrating technology with community-based animal protection.
Drawing on his interest in robotics and engineering, he developed an approach involving reflective collars equipped with QR codes.
The collars improve dogs' visibility to motorists, particularly after dark, while the QR codes provide access to digital information, including vaccination records, medical details and local caretaker contacts.
The system is designed to help residents, veterinarians and volunteers identify animals requiring assistance and coordinate their care more effectively.
Rather than relying exclusively on conventional rescue efforts, Protect Paws seeks to establish practical systems that communities can maintain over time.
Advocating Humane and Sustainable Solutions
Sachdeva's work has extended beyond direct animal care into public advocacy surrounding India's street-dog population.
He has consistently supported vaccination, sterilisation and responsible community management as approaches that can address animal welfare concerns alongside public safety.
In August 2025, he participated in a live CNN-News18 panel discussion following Supreme Court directions concerning Delhi's stray dogs.
During the discussion, he questioned mass relocation as a sustainable solution, raising concerns about shelter infrastructure, animal welfare and the practical challenges of managing large populations of community animals.
His advocacy has also included writing for national publications to encourage greater awareness and challenge misconceptions surrounding stray dogs.
Taking the Model Beyond Delhi
Protect Paws' work has also attracted the attention of policymakers.
Rajya Sabha MP R.P.N. Singh invited Sachdeva to pilot the foundation's community-dog welfare model in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.
The initiative involved programmes in Padrauna, Kasia and Khadda, introducing QR-coded collars, vaccination records and training for local residents in animal care and record-keeping.
Following these activities, Singh encouraged Sachdeva to develop the model into a toolkit that could potentially be adopted by other districts.
The initiative demonstrates how youth-led programmes can move beyond neighbourhood interventions towards broader community participation and institutional collaboration.
International Recognition, Continuing Commitment
The Diana Award's 2026 Roll of Honour recognises Sachdeva's efforts in caring for community dogs, developing QR-coded reflective collars and advocating humane alternatives to the mass removal of stray animals.
For the Vasant Valley School student, the recognition represents an important milestone in a journey that began with feeding a hungry dog during an unprecedented national crisis.
Protect Paws Foundation continues to focus on improving access to veterinary care, promoting responsible street-dog management and encouraging cooperation among citizens, veterinarians and local authorities.
Sachdeva's journey illustrates how a single act of kindness, supported by innovation, persistence and community participation, can develop into an initiative with the potential to create lasting social change.