A rising Oakton High School senior is the driving force behind a nonprofit foundation that harnesses the enthusiasm of youth to support traditional artisans in India.
To date, the Serving Society Global Foundation has raised more than $15,000 to support over 400 marginalized artisans and bring their handcrafted items to market. It has also engaged more than 300 young volunteers across the local region. Many come from the SEWA DC Youth Group, which has more than 100 active members volunteering regularly.
Dev Rai established the foundation in 2024, when he was 15 years old, and serves as its executive director. In a recent interview, he told FFXnow the idea evolved from his trips to India.
“I encountered artisans creating beautiful, highly detailed products rooted in generations of cultural knowledge, yet many lacked the recognition and consistent market access their work deserved,” he said.
“Their art was deeply connected to Indian culture, and I believed there would be genuine interest in it among communities in the U.S. if it were presented and marketed effectively,” Rai said. “The idea combined several things important to me: my Indian-American identity, my interest in entrepreneurship, my appreciation for art and storytelling, and my desire to create measurable social impact.”
To take the idea from the aspirational to the tangible, Rai began connecting with nonprofit and government-supported artisan organizations in India.
“These organizations were already training and supporting artisans, but their products had limited exposure in the U.S.,” he said. “We began obtaining handcrafted, environmentally sustainable products through these organizations and introducing them to American audiences through temples, cultural festivals, community events, grocery stores and other partner locations.”
Drawing on support from family and friends, the effort began to expand.
From there, social media and networking helped Rai spread the word nationally and build a leadership structure.
“The greatest surprise has been seeing how many other young people want to take ownership of the mission,” he said.
Rai added:
“I originally imagined Serving Society as a smaller local initiative. It is still surreal that students from places including Maryland, New Jersey, Minnesota and other parts of Virginia have expressed interest in establishing or leading chapters. We now have seven chapters, 18 youth leaders and more than 300 volunteers. The most meaningful part [of the initiative] has been seeing students who initially joined as volunteers begin proposing their own ideas, leading events and becoming personally invested in the communities behind the products. I have learned that leadership is less about personally controlling every part of an organization and more about creating a structure in which other people feel trusted and empowered to contribute.”
Rai told FFXnow he attempts to complete many of the projects during the summer, when students have fewer conflicts.
“During the academic year, I prioritize tasks according to their urgency, break larger projects into smaller weekly goals and plan around school deadlines,” he said. “I have also learned to delegate — building that shared leadership has made the organization stronger and more sustainable.”
Future plans call for helping artisan organizations develop their own digital infrastructure to showcase, market and sell independently.
“Rather than permanently requiring an outside organization to sell on their behalf, the goal is to give communities tools they can manage themselves, reach customers directly and reduce their reliance on middlemen,” Rai said. “Ultimately, I would like Serving Society to become an organization that continually develops new leaders while creating sustainable systems that remain useful to artisan communities long after any individual student graduates.”
