The young yellow belts posed for photographs, eyes shining, certificates held up proudly. Fourteen of them – five girls and nine boys – had participated in the second international karate championships 2024, organised by the World Nakayama Shotokan Association, in Hyderabad. They were students of the ZP Upper Primary School of Upparwahi in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. They had just won one Gold, five Silvers, and seven Bronzes. After just 36 karate classes, which the children had attended most enthusiastically, their instructor had felt they were ready to show their prowess. No doubt, they were.

As the world heats up and climate change becomes an ever more stark reality, its impact on rural life is of urgent concern. Weather patterns have changed, rains come at odd times, soaring temperatures dry up water bodies, sudden torrents destroy the produce in fields, groundwater levels decline unabated. Naturally, this impacts everything, including the primary source of livelihood: agriculture.

Executing a number of community welfare activities and creating awareness around nutrition, Ambuja Foundation zealously celebrated Poshan Maah 2024 in the month of September. The Foundation, known for its pan-India social development work to transform rural communities, conducted a month-long nutrition campaign focusing on awareness, health camps, community engagement programs and rallies in collaboration with ICDS and Health Department of the districts. Many events such as ‘god bharai’, ‘Annprashan’, counselling on breastfeeding and family planning were organised, focusing on maternal nutrition and balanced diet in association with ICDS and Health Department at AWCs and Block level. Even at the skill training centres and amongst women and adolescent groups health camps and check-up sessions.

Ambuja Foundation, a pan Indian social development organization dedicated to transforming rural communities has successfully undertaken multiple activities to play its part in the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign’ organized by the Central Government from 17th September to 2nd October. This initiative aims to reignite the spirit of collective action and community participation in cleanliness efforts across India.

“Millets are incredible ancestral crops with high nutritional value. Millets can play an important role and contribute to our collective efforts to empower smallholder farmers, achieve sustainable development, eliminate hunger, adapt to climate change, promote biodiversity, and transform agrifood systems.” - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu

A movement is underway across India, to empower women to become ‘lakhpati didis!’ Ambuja Foundation is playing its part – encouraging rural women to strive for a Rs. 1 lakh income and fostering micro enterprises along the way.

Sanjay Kothari lights up when he talks about his philanthropic initiative, Krishnashray Gurukul, a skill training institute where he has collaborated with Ambuja Foundation to expand its impact. Having spent a lifetime in corporate advisory, wealth management, debt syndication, finance, and compliance & taxation, his foray into Philanthropy has brought a whole new ‘spring’ in his step as he spends time giving something meaningful back to the community. And Ambuja Foundation is helping bring his vision to life.

Ambuja Foundation welcomed partners in the field across a variety of locations this month as they witnessed firsthand the impact of their investments on the ground in grassroots communities.

An event organized by Ambuja Foundation and Apparel Made-Ups & Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council organized an event in August for the women of Virasat to foster continuous improvement and excellence in the workplace.

Ambuja Foundation celebrated Independence Day with gusto this year, and was lauded in a number of locations for its work and impact:

Ambuja Foundation, in collaboration with Idobro Impact Solutions and Samhita-CGF, launched the CSR PACT recently - an initiative for CSR leaders to come together and discuss four strategic pillars: Policy, Action, Capacity and Transformation. After a decade of CSR law, there was a felt need to relook at CSR strategy and impact, and to bring together leaders from the space to collaboratively discuss the decade gone by. An invite- only forum, CSR PACT will be organized every quarter, and invites leadership to discuss challenges, share experiences and explore opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

In a district of Saurashtra, Gujarat, select villagers are of a princely lineage – being direct descendants of small-scale princely states that once ruled the lands. Here, women are considered so ‘royal’ that they are confined to the four walls of their house compound to prevent them from ‘mixing with commoners’ – their faces never seen by others, forbidden to travel and unless a person is of a particular caste, they can never enter their homes.