Sweden Has Greta, India Has Licypriya

Licypriya Kangujam is an 8-year-old activist who is fighting for the environment.

Hailing from a small village called Bashikhong in Manipur, Licypriya made headlines by becoming one of the youngest environment activists in the country. Born to KK Singh and Bidyarani Devi Kangujam Ongbi, her family consists of four members, including her younger sister, Irina Vokova Kangujam. Her family moved to Bhubaneswar when she was four years old. It was a trying time as she couldn’t speak the local language. She didn’t even know how to speak Hindi and English; she was only fluent in Manipuri. But when she got admission in KIIT International School in 2016, the school not only helped her learn the languages but also nurtured in her leadership qualities that have come in handy in her fight to save the planet. We find out more about this small but strong activist and her plans for the future.

What motivated you to become an environmental activist?

In July 2018, when I was six years old, I got an opportunity to attend a meeting called the 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risks Reduction 2018 (AMCDRR 2018) in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. It was a life changing event. During the conference, I met many world leaders and thousands of delegates from various countries. Many highlighted various issues of disaster. I cried when I saw children losing their parents and people becoming homeless due to the danger of disasters. My heart was sad for the people who can’t help themselves when disaster strikes. Many of the root causes for the disasters are the impact of climate change.

Just after returning back home from Mongolia, I started an organization called ‘The Child Movement’ on 10th July, 2018 to call on world leaders to take immediate action to save our environment, our planet and our future. I travelled from place to place to raise concerns about climate change and disaster risks reduction. So far, I have travelled over 21 countries as a part of my movement.