At 16, most internships end with a presentation, a certificate, and a polite handshake. Sia Domkundwar’s ended with a 60-page guide attempting to fill a gap hospitals rarely acknowledge. While working through BuildUp, a mentored internship programme that embeds students in real-world projects, the Pune-based Class 11 student developed The Glow Guide: a trauma-informed, survivor-led resource for burn and acid attack survivors navigating life after medical treatment ends. The guide was built in collaboration with survivors associated with the Chhanv Foundation, an organisation long known for its work with acid attack survivors.

Hospitals, Domkundwar realised early on, are good at treating injuries. They are far less equipped to help survivors figure out how to live in bodies that have permanently changed. The questions survivors grapple with daily — what fabrics won’t irritate grafted skin, how to manage sun exposure, which cosmetic ingredients are safe, how to nourish a body healing for years — rarely come with clear answers.