Vinitha Venkatraman is a social entrepreneur and Co-Founder of VIVA Development Strategies who has a long standing relationship with Ambuja Foundation. She joins us at Thrive, as a guest writer – sharing her insights and an outside perspective of some of the key facets of our work at Ambuja Foundation.

When it comes to community development, our aim is to reach out to the bottom of the pyramid – and often the first port of call in reaching them is via local community leaders. But this strategy alone is fraught with challenges, as local influences and other biases mean that often the truly poor, are overlooked.

Ambuja Foundation is fortunate to have a visionary Chairman at the helm of its Board of Directors, whose success in business is widely lauded – having built one of India’s iconic companies. However, as a humble and quiet gentleman who doesn’t like to stand on his own soapbox, it is often difficult to get inside the mind of Narotam Sekhsaria to understand what makes him tick. In an intimate interview with Thrive, Mr Sekhsaria shares his bold dreams and desires for the future of Ambuja Foundation.

Celebrated yearly, Ambuja Foundation took part in World Environment Day by organising events with varied stakeholders to create awareness about the environment, conservation and health. This year, Ambuja Foundation contributed to the global theme #OnlyOneEarth with locations organising a variety of activities.

Ambuja Foundation organized a virtual event on 'Water Stewardship & Sustainable Environment' on 8th June 2022, coinciding with World Environment Day. Keynote Speakers and panellists included experts from the water and sustainability industry who shared their experiences and best practices on rainwater management with a special focus on water in rural areas.

On occasion of World Yoga Day celebrated on 21st June 2022, Ambuja Foundation conducted Yoga sessions at various locations involving a variety of community stakeholders - including community members, village leaders, SEDI trainees and their parents, school students and staff, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, SHG members and Sakhis.

Vikram Chouhan, Principal at SEDI Udaipur, has a problem on his hands. Hotels across the state have been calling him to fill 500 new jobs in the hospitality sector, and he simply doesn’t have enough trainees to fill the jobs!

Walk into rural government schools, and you will often find a number of the teachers ‘absent’ from the classroom. In fact, according to Pratham’s ASER study, before the pandemic, approximately 30%, or roughly one in three teachers, were found to be absent on any given day in rural areas. The cost of this? Teacher absence in India in 2019-20 cost the country approximately Rs. 333.97 billion (USD 4.6 billion)*. However, the cost to children is much higher - the loss of their education and future potential.

Sanjib (name changed) is a long haul truck driver who, like most other truckers across the country, spends an average of 12 hours on the road – driving freight over long distances and spending months at a time on the road. Irregular schedules, long hours, little physical activity, limited access to healthy food on the road, and stress make healthy living a challenge for long-haul truck drivers.

In July 2021, in the wake of the brutal second wave of the pandemic, India was at the height of its ‘vaccination’ effort and often the demand for vaccine outstripped the supply. It was no different in Talipur village Farrakka West Bengal, where 25-year-old Masters of Science student, Krishna Saha was volunteering as an Ambuja Foundation ‘Covisainik’ Volunteer.

Ambuja Foundation’s Skilling Centres (SEDI) across India, have welcomed various high-level dignitaries and guests over the last month. Whilst guests appreciated Ambuja Foundation’s skill training models, the visits created an opportunity for trainees to interact with, and grasp insights, from such eminent individuals.

Setting an example of self-reliance, good infrastructure and scenic surroundings, Ambuja Foundation’s adopted core village - Mangi in Chandrapur, Maharashtra - was awarded the R.R Aba Patil Smart Village Award at the district level. Being Open Defecation Free, having a well maintained drainage system, safe drinking water supply, quality road network, 100% vaccination of community members and a widespread ban on plastic, scored brownie points for Mangi to be declared ‘Smart.’