Whilst the maze of financial and regulatory compliances inflicted on NGOs in the last decade have ‘cleaned up the sector’ to a large extent, smaller NGOs, that often lack the internal resources and wherewithal to navigate the myriad regulations, are at risk of floundering under the weight of complicated reporting and paperwork. Compliances and tighter restrictions surrounding CSR funds and FCRA may well be the nail in the coffin for many small, regional NGOs, but seek to guide NGOs in being more impactful with their work. ACF’s Richa Honavar, Head of Accounts & Compliance, speaks at length on the subject …

“What it is that I like about collaborating with Ambuja Foundation? They are hungry for more! They are agile and flexible, and we both share our hunger to do things differently and aspire for more.”

Ambuja Foundation is all set to revive 26 water bodies in Nagaur and Pali areas of Rajasthan aiming to complete rejuvenation before the onset of the upcoming monsoon. This initiative will align with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Amrit Sarovar’ – developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

In the 75 years post India’s independence our country has made significant strides towards equitable growth and development, however, much is left to be done. Adding a new dimension, in today’s world global issues like climate change, the pandemic and the impending water crisis threaten life as we know it - there has never been a more pressing time to collaborate and work together to solve these complex problems.

Ambuja Foundation won the Indian Chamber of Commerce Social Impact Award 2023. The foundation has been awarded for its work in skills and women empowerment category in Sankrail, West Bengal and Bhatapara, Chattisgarh. The ICC Social Impact Awards is an initiative of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in which the Chamber engages with Corporate entities, NGOs and implementing agencies to recognize them for exemplary work done in the field of social investment, CSR and sustainability on a PAN India basis.

Apoorva Oza is one of those people you speak to who leaves you in awe of his experience, knowledge, and perspective on all things agriculture and rural development – the man’s depth of understanding on the subject, and humble, down-to-earth nature, is something to behold.

An independent impact measurement study initiated by Ambuja Foundation’s research team in 2021, highlighted that the land under Ambuja Foundation’s Wadi project in the tribal block of Bali, in the Pali district of Rajasthan, has doubled income for farmers, in comparison to the land area of other seasonal crops.

Vaishnavi is a 2-year-old girl child from Deri skinner village, Manikpur. Her father is a driver and mostly stays outside the house due to the nature of his job. Vaishnavi's mother is a maid who works in various houses, due to which she is unable to pay attention to her child. In her absence, Ms.Rekha, a member of Jai Maa Bhawani SHG, takes care of Vaishnavi.

"Globally, cotton farming has had a bad reputation. For its overuse of pesticides. For child labor. On all fronts, cotton has had a lot of cleaning up to do. As a cotton-growing country, the situation in India was no different - at Ambuja Foundation, we struggled to change the ingrained practices of farmers - who were damaging the environment and barely surviving, in the process.

Ambuja Foundation kick-started organic farming promotion in 2010 in Bhagwanpur block in Uttarakhand. Today, the district is home to the Bhu Amrit Farmer Producer Organisation, a collective of organic farmers who work across the entire value chain of organic production, certification, and marketing. With 667 farmer shareholders, the group produces a variety of products and has commenced marketing them in key markets such as Delhi, Gujarat & Punjab, and has even moved their products online, via Flipkart and Amazon.

“When you visit a village in Rajasthan, you are bound to find a pond close by. One of the most ancient and traditional structures for rainwater harvesting, there are about 83,000 ponds in Rajasthan.

“No one would have dreamt that Harbinder Kumar would one day be working in the Ropar District Court House. But that’s exactly what this 24 year old, mildly intellectually challenged young man is doing - and he is loving it!