An unbelievable achievement for the Cork teen.

Saanvi Kaushik, a 13-year-old from Cork City, beat out 1,700 other apps to claim the Technology award presented by Technovation, a global app-building competition.

Her app is described as “an easy-to-navigate app that helps to develop innovative solutions for paediatric occupational therapists (OTs).” Kaushik was inspired to create the app by her mother, who is an occupational therapist.

The Stellar app “provides a safe platform to occupational therapists so they can deliver remote appointments, monitor progress, and develop individualised programmes for children.” Kaushik noted how much harder it was for OTs and patients to provide and access care throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There are currently 30,000 children waiting for Occupational Therapy in Ireland and these waiting times are only getting worse due to COVID-19. As the lists get longer more children are suffering. I thought there must be a way to use technology to tackle this,” Kaushik explained.

“I hope that Stellar will support families by providing high-quality content developed by experienced Occupational Therapists and allowing them to search for these services in their localities. Every child, no matter where they live, should have access to the highest quality services.”

Kaushik was assisted in her project by Irish charity TeenTurn, who work to “tackle the low number of women from underserved areas and underrepresented communities who are attaining third level qualifications in STEM.”

Speaking after her success, Kaushik said: “I am so happy to have received this award. I believed that Stellar was a good idea and I think that the app I have developed could really make a difference for many children and their families.”