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

ACF Sankrail won an award in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in the large industry category while ACF Farakka won an award for its work in Water Resource Management and Livelihoods, along with a Jury Award in the Health Category. From around 60 applications from various companies and NGOs, ACF stood out as the best organization in the field of Water, Women Empowerment and Health. For the fourth consecutive time in a row, ACF Farakka and Sankrail have been winning the ICC Social Impact Awards for their work in community development initiatives of the rural community. The awards were graced by the Consul-General of Australia, the Consul-General of Japan and the Deputy High-Commissioner, Kolkata.

Commenting on the achievement, Pearl Tiwari, Director and CEO, Ambuja Cement Foundation said, “It is a proud feeling to have renowned bodies like the Indian Chamber of Commerce recognize our work for the past few years. All credit goes to our hardworking and committed team in Sankrail and Farakka who work tirelessly to bring prosperity to our rural communities.”

Sankrail is an industrial block with nearly 130 heavy industries. ACF works on gender sensitisation and specifically on women empowerment in 16 villages around the Ambuja Cement plant areas. Under the women empowerment program, they focus on forming Self-Help Groups, promoting credit planning and integrating the program with other thrust areas of agriculture, water resource management, health and skill development. The organisation encourages women to participate in local development issues and be a part of community/panchayat meetings. Hence, 40% of women are part of village level institutions and committees.

Farakka, a block of West Bengal based close to the Bangladesh border, iss considered one of the very under-developes block of the state. Health indicators were very poor in the villages but with focused interventions and community involvement, change has seeped into the areas of family planning, maternal & child health and anemia prevention. The team has also been working on improving the livelihoods of small land holders through water harvesting and lift irrigation systems, which are helping them grow more crops, get better yield and generate greater profits.

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.