Inka studied human diversity, exploring societies, cultures and development. Then came an unexpected detour. Curious about the rapidly changing digital world, she pursued a master's degree in cyber ethics and briefly entered the technology sector. It did not take long to realize something was missing. "The focus was often on investors and profits," Inka recalls. "I wanted to be closer to people and the issues that matter." That search led her to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and ultimately, to Kenya.

In 1999, a cyclone struck Odisha in eastern India.Mukeshkumar Prajapati was thousands of kilometers away in Jamnagar, Gujarat, completing his medical training in pediatrics. When a call went out for medical specialists willing to help, he volunteered. His dean hesitated to send him alone. Mukesh never made the trip. But something had already revealed itself, something that would repeatedly shape the next quarter-century of his life—the impulse to step forward.