Draw Inspiration from Past Winners
Volunteer Hero
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Avula Shobana, Volunteer Hero 2023
Rooted in a philosophy centred on giving rather than taking, Avula Shobana has dedicated the past two decades to making a positive impact through volunteer teaching. Though officially a volunteer teacher at Vidyasagar, her multifaceted role extends beyond the classroom. Shobana mentors new teachers, counsels parents, and collaborates on goal-setting with fellow teachers. Her primary focus lies in the BLISS programme, where she imparts vocational skills to differently-abled young adults, aiming to integrate them into the workforce. The tangible success lies in the employment of the first batch in a local bakery, a testament to their acquired skills. Shobana's impact reaches beyond skill training; it reshapes narratives for differently-abled individuals, proving they can lead fulfilling lives. Yet, challenges persist, stemming from a lack of awareness and acceptance. The ongoing struggle revolves around securing sufficient resources and opportunities for these individuals to thrive holistically. Shobana's journey exemplifies the transformative power of education and advocacy in creating meaningful change.
Antara Sarkar, Volunteer Hero 2022
Antara volunteers because she believes that we must change the world for the better on our own. She's the creator and founder of Sunday Class. Every Sunday, she gives lessons to underprivileged kids with a focus on STEM and practical learning. She also looks after the kids and their families outside of the classroom because the children come from homes where the income is low and erratic. In 2016, when she first began working in this neighbourhood, she learned that the majority of kids drop out of school after classes 4-5. So she visited every one of these homes for several months, up until every child had their enrollment in school reinstated. The best accomplishment of her mission has been getting dropout children back in the classroom and making sure they stay there for years, even during a pandemic. Along with being an educator, her motto was to be a parent and friend to all these children, and though she is modest about her achievements, it appears she has achieved what she set out to do, and continues to do so.
Arup Kumar, Volunteer Hero 2020
Arup used his savings to start Puncha Nabadisha Model School, a school for the children from the Sabari tribe. It started with 20 children and today, the school offers education to 112 tribal children and provides them with clothes, toiletries and a decent meal. The impact of his school is not only the education of these children but also reduction of crime in the area. Arup hopes to give the children a chance at a dignified life with stable jobs and income. He has enrolled the older children in a primary Government school nearby and has located his school next to a hospital and other basic facilities.
Andu Maida, Volunteer Hero 2020
Andu Maida is a powerful example of women empowerment. Hailing from a remote, orthodox village in Rajasthan, she couldn’t pursue her studies due to domestic reasons. As a volunteer of Team Balika; a non profitable NGO, Andu is firmly determined to provide education to the girls of her area. She has enrolled 45 girl students mainly in the age group of 6-14 years into government schools and under her initiative the schools now have a separate toilet for male and female students.
After Andu’s marriage, she gave birth to a girl child which was not accepted by her husband and after three days of her delivery, she moved back permanently to her parents house. Initially, being from a conservative family, her parents refused to send their daughters to school, but, by her continuous efforts and strong will power, Andu fulfilled her dream and proved to be a boon for the girls there.
Shishir Joshi, Volunteer Hero 2019
Shishir Joshi conceived ‘The Mumbai Plastic Recyclothon’ as an initiative to involve voluntary participation of people across the region to make the community and city cleaner & healthier. The larger purpose was to inculcate a habit of giving, inspire a sense of hygiene & inject awareness of the perils of plastic as well as the benefits of recycling plastic for public amenities. Through this unique initiative the donated plastic will be recycled and converted into benches for senior citizens and a live permanent work of art. The MCGM and MMRDA has approved this. Shishir invested over 200 hours in this project and his key role in the Recyclothon was to lead by example and build a communication network along with confidence among the masses who wished to participate. The Recyclothon resulted in huge participation amongst citizens, institutions and the local administration, as well as created massive awareness, across all age groups as a voluntary act of giving. Shishir wholeheartedly dedicates his time because he “Prefers walking the talk”, because by leading a volunteering initiative like this, others too get inspired to take the plunge.
Naveen Prathapaneni, Volunteer Hero 2018
I have volunteered with 22 schools and three NGOs, primarily focusing on education and sustainable agriculture. I was sucessful in providing guidance and support to over 1000 students in pursuing education of their choice. I have also developed ‘MobiCounsel’ mobile application to help teachers quickly access career information as well as a ‘Kiosk based application’ to offer virtual counseling to rural students.
Krupali Bidaye, Volunteer Hero 2017
A passionate grassroots volunteer who enjoys being with communities, Krupali, currently handles the Transgender persons’ portfolio at the Social Inclusion Task Force, Govt. of Chhattisgarh. Krupali, a volunteer for more than 15 years, is responsible for the conceptualization of Joy for All – an Anam Prem initiative of Love for the Hijra and Transgender Community. In 2016, she organized the Trans and Hijra Empowerment Mela, the first of its kind pioneering attempt to encourage entrepreneurship among the transgender community across India. Krupali believes in equal rights for all and volunteering has now become a way of life for her.
Arun Kumar, Volunteer Hero 2016
Arun Kumar is currently working as a consultant with Cognizant Technology Solutions, Chennai. He felt compelled to help underprivileged cancer patients and with the support of friends and family, he has reached out to thousands of cancer patients. He volunteer because he dont want anyone to fight cancer alone.
Pushpa Sagar, Volunteer Hero 2015
She belongs to a poor family of a small village in Rajasthan where girls are not allowed to go to school. She is among the few women in her village to have completed her education and found a job. She feels that each and every girl of her village needs to be independent. She joined Educate Girls as Volunteer (Team Balika) in the year 2011 and has visited each and every household her village to make parents and children aware of the value education can provide.
Selva Ganapathy, Volunteer Hero 2014
Selva Ganapathy was awarded the title of Volunteer Hero 2013. Selva Ganapathy, a Chennai based volunteer with AID India. He has been volunteering with AID INDIA for the past ten years and has mobilized more than 10,000 volunteers across the country and raised funds of more than INR 1 crore.
C. Kartheeban, Volunteer Hero 2013
Kartheeban founded Team Everest an NGO that focuses on promoting volunteerism and making a difference in the field of Education. To spread the word about Team Everest and encourage volunteerism he initiated the Contest for Change campaign which consisted of a photography a drawing and a short movie contest. Today his reach via Team Everest has spread far and wide with a Delhi charter slated to start soon.
Youth Champion
Jeevitha B Kong, Youth Champion 2023
In the domain of volunteerism, Jeevitha B Kong, a final-year engineering student, emerges as a passionate advocate for making a meaningful difference. With nearly 6 years of dedicated service, her interests converge in the realm of volunteering, shaping her desire for a career in CSR. Jeevitha's pivotal role revolves around the VScribe initiative under VTVO, where she orchestrates the connection between visually impaired students and voluntary writers. Her impactful contributions include arranging scribes for over 600 exams, positively influencing the lives of 300+ visually impaired and physically challenged students in Bengaluru and Chennai. The ripple effect of VScribe extends beyond these regions, with plans for nationwide expansion soon. Through her efforts, Jeevitha has instilled confidence in students who once navigated the anxiety of finding scribes. The impact is not merely academic; it's a transformation from fear to confidence, creating a more serene pre-exam atmosphere for these students. Navigating challenges with resilience, Jeevitha addresses the intricate scribe criteria, steadily expanding the volunteer base to overcome such hurdles. Her journey epitomizes a commitment to creating positive change and embodying the compassion she believes in. image1 Kavya Agrawal Kavya Agrawal, the founder
Indraneel Acharya, Youth Champion 2022
Indraneel Acharya, is the Associate Vice-President of Yuvaspark. Through their non-profit, they have raised 40 Lakh+ rupees from 1500+ micro-donors, impacting 82,000+ beneficiaries in 8 districts across 3 states of India. They have engaged 600+ student volunteers from 35+ institutions and 100+ young professionals. Whilst running a child welfare NGO during the pandemic, Indraneel and the team ensured 11,000+ children and migrant workers were provided essentials. They also provided tablets devices to ensure 200+ rural children accessed digital education and provided scholarships to 15 students. During the second wave, they provided 157 Oximeters, 18 oxygen concentrators, and 600 oxygen masks. They also set up their very own 12-bed facility at a COVID Care Centre in Bangalore. Post-pandemic, the team established a new orphanage for 26 children. They are improving the lives of these children through their 4-pronged approach: infrastructure, education, nutrition and holistic development. They are also digitising learning at 300+ Anganwadi centres.
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Rahul Dhiman, Youth Champion 2020
Rahul Dhiman, started his journey as a volunteer 3 years ago. In January 2018 he founded his own NGO named “Careness and Awareness Welfare Society” in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. During the General Elections 2019, he was considered as the representative of his NGO. His organization has facilitated PwD voters so that they could cast their votes easily. He was allotted 10 villages by the SDM-cum-Electoral Registration Officer. He made a successful voting of 209 voters out of 233 PwD voters. He has motivated and convinced the people for voting and having equal rights. He personally picked and dropped each voter this shows his love and concern.
Anju Verma, Youth Champion 2019
Anju Verma, a 16-year old young student with great aspirations, has been working for the past five years to conduct surveys in and around her hometown to gauge the number of children being deprived of education, and helping to get them enrolled in educational institutions. Coming from a rural area, Anju faced a lot of criticism including death threats from her community. Yet, she continued with her noble work and initiated a movement of education, which now operates in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Bisathi Bharat, Youth Champion 2018
Starting off with humble tasks such as planting, keeping my surroundings litter-free, I eventually moved on to volunteering for several NGOs. I initiated free career guidance and soft skill development classes for upto 2600 youth, helping them build their future better. I volunteer to make people socially and morally strong.
Manoj Padaiyachi, Youth Champion 2017
Manoj recently completed his BE Mech. Engineering and MBA aspirant. He found the Wealth (we all live to help) Foundation in 2015. He is the brain child of this organization and all of its activities. Wealth focuses on social awareness and kids’ education. Manoj is leading the organization to bring a change in our society. In the span of just two years, Manoj has expanded the activities of his Foundation in cities like Ahmedabad, Baroda and Mumbai. Apart from that, he is also working as a campus Brand Ambassador for various companies. He has also organized the First Mega Women Empowerment Conclave in Gujarat. Manoj is a very aspiring person and has associated himself with several firms and activities.
Rishi Banshiwal, Youth Champion 2016
Rishi Banshiwal is an enthusiastic learner and believes in leadership philosophies. His volunteering experience started as a coordinator in a non-profit organization. Rishi quotes, “Volunteering has made him learn human skills – like patience, perseverance, never give up attitude, relentless work and efforts”.
Leader In Volunteer Engagement
Standard Chartered & Firstsource, Leader in Volunteer Engagement 2023
Standard Chartered Bank has been operating in India for close to 170 years making it one of the oldest foreign Banks. Giving back to the community through volunteering is an integral part of the Bank's DNA across the Globe. In 2022 – 2023, Standard Chartered focussed on 3 thematic Volunteering programs:
- Creating a clean and Green Earth: Initiatives around Environment aimed to mitigate and arrest the damage caused to Earth due to human-nature conflict.
- Futuremakers for a better world: Global drive to improve lives of women, children and People with Disability through Fun Fundraising drives
- Enabling an Equal world - Events around Social inclusion for the most underserved
All 3 initiatives saw active participation with over 10,000 employees clocking in more than 47000 volunteering hours.
Firstsource, Leader in Volunteer Engagement 2023
Firstsource, a part of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, is a leading provider of business process solutions to more than 100 global businesses in the Banking and Financial Services, Healthcare, Communications, Media and Technology, and diversified industries. Employee Volunteering and Giving is an organizational wide initiative at Firstsource. In 2022 – 2023, Firstsource volunteers developed technology solutions to support partner organisations in furthering their impact through online applications and chatbots which supported the organisation with cataloguing impactful events, and fundraising. The second project undertaken was a mentorship programme where industry experts guide and mentor third year engineering scholars on essential skills. In all, 136 volunteers contributed 2219 volunteer hours to impact 6592 lives.
Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CinI), Leader In volunteer engagement 2022
Improving the quality of life for tribal communities by energising the communities, creating a shared desire for a better life while demonstrating ways to achieve it, and launching a cascade movement for similar development throughout Central India is what the Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI) aim for. The organisation closely collaborates with the community, parents, teachers, and students and then establishes a volunteer pool. This volunteer pool consists of volunteers from across the globe who work to develop solutions at the community and school levels to boost academic achievement for kids and foster an educational environment for them. To spread awareness among the tribal communities, the volunteers arrange many programs. The main objective behind arranging such events is to improve the learning methodology of the students. The team also works towards activating the community by engaging the students and beginning them to perform multiple tasks. They utilise the collaborative approach and resource development for institutional development.
Team Everest, Leader In volunteer engagement 2020
Team Everest was established with an objective to provide quality education to children who could not afford it. They work with 40,000+ children every year and volunteers play a key role in operating these activities. They firmly believe that every person has something to give back to society. Team Everest’s role is to tap that kindness in individuals and channelize it towards the welfare of society. Their major initiatives include ‘Speak Out’ wherein students from underprivileged backgrounds are assigned volunteers who talk to them on phones to teach English and improve their communication skills, ‘Digital Literacy Program’ where they train students on digital and computer literacy, etc. They also collaborate with big organizations for Corporate Volunteering Programs and help transform schools and the lives of children.
eVidyaloka Trust, eVidyaloka Trust
eVidyaloka Trust is working towards creating an educated and empowered rural India. They connect passionate volunteers with children in remote Indian villages to provide quality education. They enable quality education for children across grade V to VIII of govt. schools through digital classrooms. They have over 1100 volunteers who come from all walks of life such as homemakers, working professionals, retired teachers, defense personnel and students. They have delivered 522,620 child learning hours in the year 2018. eVidyaloka is disrupting the traditional physical paid teacher model by leveraging technology to make a difference to the societies in which we live. eVidyaloka’s operating strategy is to maximise contribution from the society/community at large and their organisation structure, both people and system, is designed to enable the same.
Udayan Care, Leader In Volunteer Engagement 2018
Udayan Care is a volunteer driven organization that seeks to help out underprivileged children of the society. The organization helps both national and international volunteers to implement work according to their capacity by providing them with proper guidance and training. The dedication of their volunteers has steered a path for various programs such as Mentor Parents in Udayan Ghar, which was a concept designed to encourage men and women to make a lifetime commitment as voluntary mentors to the orphaned children residing around their community. Udayan Shailni Fellowship is another program that provides a senior mentor to impact the lives of girls at both primary and secondary level of academics, and to provide career counseling and personality development for a period of five years. This pyramidal structure of voluntarism impacts each fellow at a personal, academic and professional level, ensuring long term sustainability of the programme whilst creating a band of over 3500 young women positively contributing to society and the economy. Udayan Care is an organization that believes in changing the lives of many around by engaging its volunteers.
