CSR: Ambuja Manovikas Kendra wins two awards from the Punjab Government
Ambuja Manovikas Kendra (AMK), an educational institution for differently-abled children in Punjab’s Ropar district, has been recognized for its work towards welfare of persons with disabilities by the Punjab government for the third time in a row. The institution is an initiative of Ambuja Cement Foundation, the CSR arm of one of the leading cement manufacturers in India, Ambuja Cements.
Priya Devi, a student of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra won the award for the ‘Best Sports Person with Disability’ while Anupama, Principal of AMK won the ‘Best Individual Professional working with People with Disabilities’.
Priya Devi is currently being trained for the World Winter Games 2023 to be held in Kazan, Russia. Her family, for the first time, realized her disability, only when the AMK team surveyed her village. She was immediately enrolled into AMK in 2018 which gave birth to her passion for sports. In 2019, she won the gold medal in 100m walk, and a silver medal in 100m dash at the 22nd Punjab State Special Olympics.
Then, she participated in the State Trials for the National Championship in Floorball and was successfully selected for further upcoming competitions. Despite the pandemic, she trained herself at home and was able to participate in the National Championship of Floorball in Delhi and Haryana.
Neeraj Akhoury, CEO India Holcim and MD & CEO of Ambuja Cements Ltd. said, “The aim of this CSR initiative has been to improve the quality of life of differently-abled children and empower them with skills that make them independent and self-reliant. Through Ambuja Manovikas Kendra, we have always tried to help people to reach their full potential in life. Our staff is highly committed and all our students who are excelling in their fields are inspiring and have made us proud over and over again.”
At present, the school caters to over 120 children, all broadly fitting into the category of mentally challenges and provides them with a conducive environment tailored to meet individual developmental needs.
Pearl Tiwari, Director & CEO, Ambuja Cement Foundation said, “AMK, through its facility has empowered differently-abled youngsters that include intellectually disabled, suffering from impaired hearing, and visually challenged to realize their capabilities and achieve endeavours in their lives. All this credit goes to their teachers and other staff members who have made this remarkable feat possible”
Anupama, Principal at AMK has clinched the ‘Best Individual Professional working with People with Disabilities’ award. She has been associated with AMK for the past 19 years as a special educator. She pursued higher studies in the same field and today she has been challenged with the role of the Principal of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra overseeing over 120 children of Rural Ropar. Her ability to understand the needs of young students with disabilities and win their trust with empathy and compassion is inspiring and noteworthy.
During the pandemic, AMK continued to provide essential services to its students at home via online classes and also empowered parents to work with their children during the lockdown. A variety of virtual activities were organised to support students in retaining key skills and learnings during the pandemic and continues to support them in the times to come.
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