Mumbai – Oct. 4, 2019 – Americares India’s 10th Annual Spirit of Humanity Awards recognized six exceptional nongovernmental organizations during its Sept. 26 finale at the JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu.
The participating organizations underwent three rigorous rounds of shortlisting and, following the national round in the afternoon, the winners were announced at an awards ceremony. This year, awards were given in five categories—child care, disability, education, health and women’s empowerment—to NGOs with an annual budget of up to Rs. 3 crores. In addition, the social impact category was reserved for organizations with an annual budget of Rs. 3 crores and above.
Spirit of Humanity is a national-level platform for collaboration, capacity building and recognition within the social sector in India. The finale of the 10th Spirit of Humanity Awards brought together not-for-profit organizations, academia, government authorities, thought leaders and corporations.
| Category | Winning NGO |
| Child care | Karm Marg Charitable Society, Faridabad |
| Disability | Adventures Beyond Barriers, Pune |
| Education | Jhamtse Gatsal Childrens Community, Arunachal Pradesh |
| Health | Shree Sai Healing Trust, Chennai |
| Women empowerment | Jabala Action Research Organisation, Kolkata |
| Social impact | Sense International India, Ahmedabad |
Apart from celebrating the organizations’ successes, the event aided sustained engagement and cross learning.
Talking about the event this year, Shripad Desai, managing director, Americares India said, “I am pleased to present the 10th edition of the Spirit of Humanity. Over the years, this platform has evolved and extended its scope. Each year, we are thrilled to receive an encouraging response from all the participants. We only hope to grow this platform further and encourage services of many in the future.”
The guest of honor for the event was Dr. Manoj Chawla a well-known diabetologist in Mumbai. In conversation with Dr. Chawla was eminent health journalist from the Indian Express Group, Viveka Rowchoudhary. Viveka has been engaged in health journalism for more than two decades.
The 10th Spirit of Humanity Awards was organized with the support of Abbott, Americares, JW Marriott, RIST, SPJIMR and KPMG (Registered). Winners received a cash donation, trophy and certificate of excellence from thought-leaders and industry experts. They also received opportunities to share their work with numerous CSR heads.
Americares India, based in Mumbai, provides emergency medical and humanitarian aid in response to floods, cyclones, earthquakes and other disasters, health education through a school-based health program, training to improve health worker safety and mobile health centers that serve more than 130 locations throughout the slums of Mumbai.