15-year-old Changemaker Empowers Young Girls through Financial Education

Suhanee Soni’s initiative, FinSpire, empowers over thousands of girls with financial knowledge and banking access, overcoming cultural barriers and expanding financial literacy across India and beyond.

 

In India, financial literacy remains a significant challenge, especially among females. Till this date, only 21% of women have been deemed financially literate National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE) survey.

To address this gap, Suhanee Soni, a Class 11 student from Oberoi International School, Mumbai, has launched FinSpire: a non-profit organisation powered by the United Nations-accredited organisation 1M1B aimed at empowering young girls from India with financial education. At just 15, she’s combining her passion for financial literacy, economic development and gender equity to build a platform that empowers students to tackle real-world challenges with confidence.

FinSpire’s Reach

Speaking about her initiative, Suhanee said, “Through FinSpire, we have made a real impact on the ground. So far, we have helped countless girls gain financial knowledge and understand the importance of banking services.” Over the last eleven months, FinSpire has expanded to a movement beyond India, with chapters now established in Azerbaijan, Ghana, and the United Kingdom.

 

“Our organisation has expanded to 40+ volunteers across states in India. We’ve held workshops for 100+ school-going girls with Angel Xpress, Desire Society and other NGOs that support the cause. This serves as a poignant reminder of the need for targeted interventions that are designed to empower young girls through education and awareness.”

 

What Next?

“For me, the possibility that I could’ve changed even one life is enough to know that I’ve made an impact. Scaling the organisation has been great—and the impact has become tangible in recent months—but the goal was never about numbers. At FinSpire, we’ve done our absolute best for the younger generation of female workforce by democratising education, and that’s what I’m most proud of,” Suhanee reflects.

 

After having secured the ‘Finalist’ position for the Youth Empowerment Fund’s $500 grant, FinSpire is now focused on expanding its outreach and impact. In the coming months, the teamaims to partner with banks to host workshops that help domestic female workers set up bank accounts.

 

Additionally, FinSpire’s content interns are in the process of drafting the all-inclusive ‘FinSpire Financial Literacy Guides,’ which will be distributed across NGOs in India. These will be 40-page booklets that break down foundational topics such as budgeting, saving, credit, banking, cyber security and investment, serving the purpose of making such education more accessible.

 

Final Thoughts

“I’d like to extend my gratitude to my parents, friends, the team and my service mentor at school. Without their support, I would’ve struggled to achieve what I have today,” she recalled.

 

Currently, Suhanee is in the process of developing a donation drive to distribute copies of Mind Over Money—her own book—and distribute them at local NGOs. As an 18u18 Future Global Changemaker, Suhanee says that she aspires to expand the initiative further, believing that educating one girl creates a ripple effect, empowering others in turn. She dreams of a future where all women are financially literate and economically independent—and hopes that FinSpire will be remembered for driving that change.