“I used live an ordinary life – catching a few fish from the shores of my village. But one day I came across a relative of mine, who was returning from a big fishing expedition. He was a contractor for a boat owner and told me stories of catching hauls in a single trip worth 1lakh.

"My heart used to weep seeing my husband struggling to earn a decent income from his crop. And it wasn’t just him. The local moneylenders and middlemen were making farmers’ lives in our village miserable. I wanted to help, but how? I had never even stepped out of the house ever before!

At just 18 years of age, Beant is no stranger to social work. She got her first taste of it at the age of 11 as an Adolescent Peer Educator, and was hooked! As the primary driver of Ambuja Foundation’s Women Empowerment Programme in her community, Beant is a busy teen – juggling social work duties, studies in Tally, household chores and of course – all important time with friends!

In 1987 child marriage was rife in rural West Bengal. But when Basanti Chakraborty heard about the impending marriage of a 15-year-old girl in her village, she took matters into her own hands. Objecting vehemently to the families involved, she spent hours trying to convince them otherwise.

Setting the exemplary standards, Ambuja Foundation bagged the ICC Social Impact Award for the fourth time in a row. At the Social Impact Awards 2022 ceremony in Kolkata Ambuja Foundation was celebrated with 3 major awards for its contribution to women empowerment, water resource management and rural heath.

On the occassion of Women’s Day, Ambuja Foundation was celebrated across locations for its work on community development, health, water and women empowerment.

The inspiring stories of Ambuja Foundation’s beneficiaries have been captured in a stunning coffee table book format – highlighting their perseverance and ‘unstoppable’ drive in pursuing their livelihoods and passions.

Ambuja Foundation recently launched ‘PANKH’ - a women’s forum where women at Ambuja Foundation can voice their opinions, learn and share experiences. This forum is especially designed for women members part of Ambuja Foundation's staff team.

Many development organization has mark their success on the number of projects and programs they implement. However, we believe that the true success and contribution of our organization is promoting sustainable development that can more effectively be measured by taking a look at our efforts in strengthening local organisations. After all, improving ‘community ownership’ is both a means and an end in the process of development.

The spare room in Mehra Sheikh’s house has been transformed. It’s become a sanitary pad production centre and it bustles from day to night as women come and go, meeting strict production targets for the new menstrual hygiene product.

Never in her wildest dreams did housewife Renu Thakur imagine where cows would take her in life! From Nauni village in Darlaghat all the way to the offices of the Ministry of Finance, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry in the Himachal Pradesh State Government, Renu has been on a wild ride. Renu was one of the 30 founding members of the women only Amrit Dhara Dairy Milk Cooperative, which has grown from strength to strength - swelling to 300 members today.

The art of kitchen gardening is transforming the lives, incomes and health of families across rural India. Promoted as part of Ambuja Foundation’s health programme, this intervention played a crucial role in feeding families and generating incomes during the pandemic - at a time when supplies were restricted during lockdown and going to busy markets, a risk.