From hygiene products to school supplies, these Barrhaven students are making an impact

If you live in Barrhaven, it’s possible that at some point over the last year, you’ve opened your door to find a group of local students collecting donations. If you did, you’d have noticed these girls weren’t regular solicitors, and weren’t selling something — not in the traditional way.

The eight young women were collecting donations to build gift boxes of in-demand items for women and children living in poverty, sometimes selling crafts or baked goods, and spreading awareness about neighbours in need.

In early 2026, Anisha Arul, Sophia Chen, Wafia Kamran, Laiba Kashif, Hannah Qiao, Ishleen Saini, Haritha Senthilkumar and Savanna Sun, decided they wanted to do more to enact positive change in their city.

The eight girls from Barrhaven were in grade 11 at the time, attending Merivale High School, and had met through school and volunteer programs, where they were all involved in volunteering and giving back.

“A lot of us were really involved already in volunteering and other student leadership opportunities, and as friends in our school community, we kept coming back to the same question: ‘Why is it that some groups in our community have everything they need while others are constantly having to worry about basics like food, hygiene products, or other school supplies?’”  Senthilkumar told the Ottawa Lookout. 

“And to be honest, we eventually just decided, let's not just talk about it; let's start something more concrete together.”

Together, the team of eight launched The GiftBox Initiative, a youth-led organization that partners with local shelters, organizations and schools to organize fundraisers and donation drives. They aren’t affiliated with the school and extend their outreach both within their Barrhaven community and across the city.