Business Outstanders welcomed the opportunity to interview Viraja Shivhare, a renowned personality and passionate social entrepreneur, as well as the mastermind behind Fuel The World. Driven by an unwavering mission of reducing nutritional gaps in underprivileged communities, Viraja is redefining the landscape of food aid. Focusing on the easy availability of food ensures that nutritional standards, cultural boundaries, and people’s dignity are looked after. Under her visionary direction, Fuel The World has succeeded in launching programs like NourishNet and Nutrition Literacy Workshops. These programs are assisting many individuals and families, and hence have turned out to bring appreciable impacts. Viraja’s life endeavours show how a focused and powerful mindset improves the lives of common people and the community.
Interview Highlights:
Q. Viraja, Can you tell us more about the mission of Fuel The World and what inspired you to start this nonprofit focused on food aid?
Fuel the World began as a project I co-founded with my teammates Janani Janakiraman and Aanya Ramaswamy, along with our executive board members Arushi Shah and Adharsh Rajeshkumar. We all noticed the same issue in different ways. Many families, especially in tribal and underserved communities, were eating regular meals but still facing the effects of chronic malnutrition because the food available to them lacked essential nutrients. We wanted to create something youth-led that addressed this problem with both practicality and respect for local food cultures. That idea eventually grew into Fuel the World. Our mission is to make nutrition more accessible and easier to understand through solutions that fit naturally into daily life. Today, that vision has expanded into 31+ chapters, 300+ volunteers, and over $23,000 raised through grants from organizations like Hershey’s, Youth Service America, and Karma4Cara. We developed NourishNet, a fortified vitamin powder that blends into staple foods, and paired it with our Nutrition Literacy Workshops, which help families understand how to support long-term health with the resources they already have. What started as a small initiative among friends has grown into a national youth movement focused on practical, culturally informed nutrition support.
Q. How do NourishNet and Nutrition Literacy Workshops work together to improve nutritional outcomes for underserved communities?
NourishNet acts as a supplement to meals families already prepare, while the workshops focus on understanding why certain nutrients matter in the first place. The programs support different needs. NourishNet addresses gaps in vitamins and minerals, while the workshops equip families to make informed food decisions long after our team leaves. By combining the two, communities benefit both from short-term support and from long-term confidence in managing their own nutrition.
Q. What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced in designing culturally relevant, fortified meal kits, and how have you overcome them?
One major challenge was recognizing how much food, flavor, and identity are intertwined. If something tastes unfamiliar or feels foreign, families will not use it, even if it is healthy. To overcome this, we spent time observing how meals are prepared, what ingredients are considered “comfort foods,” and which textures people naturally gravitate toward. This allowed us to adjust NourishNet so it blended into routine cooking without changing anyone’s traditions or expectations around food.
Q. Can you share an example of a community or partnership that has been particularly impactful in your work?
One of the most meaningful parts of our growth has been the support we have received from grantmakers like Karma4Cara, Hershey’s, and Youth Service America. Each of these partnerships came at a moment when we were trying to expand an idea into an actual program. Their funding allowed us to move from small pilots to larger distributions and helped us refine NourishNet so it could reach families more consistently. Beyond the financial support, what stood out was their belief in youth-led work. Their trust pushed us to aim higher and gave our volunteers the confidence to take on larger projects than we initially thought possible.
Q. How does your organization ensure that the food aid provided respects and incorporates cultural preferences?
We treat cultural familiarity as a requirement rather than an afterthought. Before we design anything, we ask communities to guide us on taste, preparation methods, typical meal patterns, and ingredients that hold cultural or religious significance. We also pilot-test each version of NourishNet within the community and revise based on their feedback. This process ensures that any aid we provide fits naturally into the rhythm of daily life and feels like a part of their food culture, not an interruption to it.
Q. What advice would you give to other social entrepreneurs or small organizations looking to build strong community partnerships?
Start by showing up consistently. Communities trust people who keep returning, not people who appear only when they need something. Build relationships before you build programs, and let partners define what support looks like for them. Also, be transparent about what you can and cannot offer. Clarity builds stronger partnerships than promising too much too soon. Over time, shared goals naturally lead to shared impact.
Q. Reflecting on your journey, what has been the most rewarding moment for you and your team so far?
The most rewarding moment has been watching young volunteers step into leadership roles and make the organization their own. Seeing our interns and regional task forces run workshops, design outreach strategies, and organize distributions without needing constant direction has been incredibly inspiring. It showed me that Fuel the World is becoming something that will last beyond my time in high school, which was always the goal.
Viraja Shivhare | Co-founder and Director of Outreach, Fuel the World
Viraja Shivhare’s commendable leadership abilities can be appreciated by her work and energy. The way she conveys her ideas of improving the status of food and nutrition is enough to analyze her notions of public service. Her proactive actions with Fuel The Work demonstrate that change is possible when efforts are in the right direction with optimum dedication. Her journey is a ray of sunshine for everyone wishing for a better life and food accessibility. Let's keep chasing such examples to showcase humanity to the world.
Her Linkedin: Viraja Shivhare
Company Domain: https://fueltheworldinc.wixsite.com/fueltheworld
“Change shouldn’t be feared, it should be embraced.”
