We are proud to announce that Ipsita Choudhury has won the esteemed Berkeley Prize Community Service Fellowship. We extend our warmest congratulations to her on this achievement. Below is an overview of her proposal, which focuses on making homes more livable in the underrepresented population of Bhalswa, Delhi.
The dumpsite at Bhalswa is an environmental disaster, with hazardous air pollution levels and a contaminated water table. Despite this, over 200,000 people call it home, and the area is continuing to be densified through public and private housing projects. Ipsita has been working with the community through a grassroots initiative called Better Bhalswa since mid-2020 to address these issues. Her essay, "A Place called Home," explores the state of housing in Bhalswa and proposes inclusive and livable housing solutions.
For her Community Service Fellowship proposal, Ipsita has co-created a program called Wonder in Waste (WoW) with Better Bhalswa. The program aims to pilot decentralised waste management at Bhalswa Dairy to create a visible change in the community's livability. It includes community engagement and sensitization through public informatics campaigns, stakeholder mobilization for solutions thinking, and participatory design and co-creation for a better Bhalswa.
We support Ipsita in her endeavors and look forward to seeing the positive impact her proposal will have on the Bhalswa community. We thank the Berkeley Prize for presenting her with this valuable opportunity to contribute to social change