(March 16, 2026) Hospital rooms can be long and quiet places for children. For Ayona Jaswal, those experiences became the reason she began creating activity kits, writing messages to young patients, and eventually publishing a book about resilience. Her initiative, The Kindness and Smile Zone, and her novella Colors of Courage both grow from a personal understanding of what it means to spend time in hospitals as a child.
Now 15 and a student at A.B. Lucas Secondary School in Canada’s London in Ontario, Ayona has turned those early experiences into a project aimed at helping children who face illness feel connected and creative during difficult moments.
“I know how hard it is, not just for the child, but also for the family to see their child going through that,” she tells Global Indian. Through online activity packs, digital cards, and storytelling, Ayona aims to create small moments of encouragement for children dealing with health challenges. Her project has recently joined London’s Pillar Nonprofit Network through its Community Membership Program, which provides support and resources for grassroots organizations.
Growing up in and out of hospitals
Ayona’s connection to hospitals began almost immediately after she was born. Shortly after birth, she underwent surgery to remove a nodule. The procedure marked the beginning of a medical journey that would continue through childhood.
She lives with portal hypertension and is monitored regularly by medical teams at SickKids Hospital in Toronto and Victoria Hospital in London. Annual ultrasounds, endoscopies and imaging tests remain part of that routine.
Although her health is stable today, those hospital visits shaped how she sees her own experiences and the experiences of others. “These experiences made me a much braver person,” she says.
During hospital visits, Ayona often saw other children facing illnesses that were far more severe. Watching them navigate treatment and recovery left a lasting impression. Seeing those realities is what eventually pushed her to think about ways she could support children who might be going through similar moments.
Creating The Kindness and Smile Zone
In 2025, Ayona founded The Kindness and Smile Zone, an online initiative that provides children with digital activity packs, puzzles and personalized cards created by volunteers. After spending time in hospitals herself, Ayona wanted to create something that could brighten a child’s day.
She released the first activity kit on Canada Day. “I thought that even if one kid checks it out, they could share their work with me and I could write a little comment back to them and hopefully bring a smile to their face,” she says.
Soon afterward, a child sent her their completed activity. The small interaction confirmed that the idea could reach children beyond her immediate community.
Since then, the initiative has grown steadily. Activity packs and cards have been shared with children digitally. In addition to the digital materials, Ayona has collected more than 250 stuffed animals that will be donated to children’s hospitals and organizations supporting young patients.
The first response that the The Kindness and Smile Zone received for its activity
Building a volunteer team
As the project expanded, Ayona began reaching out to students online who might want to help. The response led to a volunteer network that now includes more than 25 high school and university students.
The volunteers come from roughly nine countries, including Canada, India, the United States, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, says Ayona. Together they help design activity packs, manage outreach and contribute ideas for new initiatives.
“I was inspired that so many people wanted to help bring kindness and smiles to the world,” she says. Some volunteers focus on designing the activity packs while others help coordinate communications or manage research and blog content. Even younger participants contribute by making cards for children.
The collaborative effort has allowed the project to grow beyond what Ayona initially imagined. To date, she has recorded more than 1,100 volunteer hours through service and advocacy connected to the initiative.
Writing Colors of Courage
Alongside her work with The Kindness and Smile Zone, Ayona has also explored storytelling as another way to connect with young readers facing health challenges.
Her 87 page novella Colors of Courage follows a girl named Ella who lives with juvenile arthritis and learns to navigate school life while dealing with chronic illness. The story draws inspiration from Ayona’s own health journey as well as from a friend she met during a hospital stay who lived with juvenile arthritis and expressed herself through art.
“My hope through this book is to teach children, no matter their health, that everyone has the power to overcome their life challenges,” she says. The book focuses on resilience, friendship and the small acts of kindness that can help children find strength even during difficult periods.
Aiming for a career in pediatric medicine
Ayona is currently in Grade 10 at A.B. Lucas Secondary School, where she has consistently ranked among the highest performing students.
In Grade 8 she graduated with the highest academic average in her class and received the Academic Excellence Award. The following year she maintained a 95 percent average, earning the Honor Roll Award of Excellence and placing among the top 15 students in her grade. She also received the award for highest standing in Grade 9 English.
Beyond her coursework, she participates in language competitions and academic contests. She has been a frequent participant in Canadian Parents for French competitions such as the Dites-le en vidéo contest and has also taken part in Hindi competitions organized by Ekal Canada.
Her academic interests increasingly connect with the medical experiences that shaped her childhood. Ayona hopes to pursue a career in medicine, ideally becoming a pediatrician or pediatric subspecialist such as a cardiologist. She hopes one day to work at a hospital like SickKids, where she received treatment as a child.
Her research interests have already begun to reflect that focus. “I was recently placed in the top 3.5 percent of the Horizon Academic Essay Contest, which received 1,656 submissions from 88 countries, ” Ayona informs. Her essay, titled Breaking the Silence – Mental Health and the Socio Ethical Pursuit of Progress, earned her a scholarship award.
Together with members of her team, she has also contributed to research projects exploring the psychological impact of dermatological conditions, CRISPR gene therapy treatments such as Casgevy, and ways to improve access to artificial intelligence education for students managing chronic illness.
Family roots and support system
Ayona was born and raised in London, Ontario. Her family’s roots trace back to Himachal Pradesh in northern India, where most of their extended relatives still live. Her father works in the medical field and has played a central role in shaping her outlook on service and care for others.
“He has been my primary role model and my absolute inspiration for serving others,” she says. Her mother, a former teacher, remains a constant source of support and encouragement.
Ayona also credits her younger sister, who is eleven, for helping with many aspects of her work. Her sister assists with technical tasks and supports her during hospital visits. She also pursues music and remains one of Ayona’s most enthusiastic supporters. “My family are the main three people I have here in Canada,” Ayona says.
Looking ahead
For now, most of The Kindness and Smile Zone’s resources remain digital, shared through collaborations with other organizations that distribute activity packs and cards to children across different countries. The initiative has partnered with groups such as Stuffies4Smiles, which has helped distribute activity packs and cards during holiday seasons to children.
Ayona hopes to expand the initiative further by organizing in person workshops, increasing fundraising efforts and developing printed activity packs that can be distributed directly to hospitals and children’s organizations.
She has already invested much of her own savings into the project, including nearly $900 from personal funds and competition prize money to purchase stuffed animals and support outreach efforts.
Her long term goal is to continue building projects that support children facing illness. She also hopes to establish a charitable organization in the future in honor of her father and her grandfathers. “After doing a collaboration, or seeing a kid share their work with us, that definitely makes me feel like the work and time we’re putting in is a good thing,” she signs off.
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