Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF)
Ambuja Foundation is an independent, pan-India development organization, committed to generating
prosperous rural communities. ACF’s mission is to ‘Energise, involve and enable communities to realize their
potential and believes in the vast, untapped potential of rural communities and the unstoppable power of the
people that live there. With investments in water, agriculture, skills, women, health and education, it enables
‘livelihoods’ as a pathway to unleashing that potential.
Partnering with like-minded Corporates, Governments and others, it works collaboratively with communities to
solve pressing community problems – empowering local people to be the catalysts and drivers of change. And
over almost 3 decades of work, it asseen a complete transformation in the remote geographies in which it works
in.
ACF’s vision is committed to expanding its footprint and impact of our work even further, through partnerships
– building many more sustainable, prosperous rural communities, and revitalising rural India as the backbone of
this country.
The organization undertakes several projects and initiatives aimed at promoting social and economic
development and covers 56 districts of 12 states reaching out to 3.2 million people from 4200 villages. A
committed team of over 1400 professionals is working in various projects in different thrust areas.
ACF’s presence is in the following states.
• Gujarat
• Rajasthan
• Himachal Pradesh
• Uttar Pradesh
• Uttarakhand
• Punjab
• Maharashtra
• West Bengal
• Chhattisgarh
• Andhra Pradesh
• Madhya Pradesh
• Bihar
Focus Areas:
ACF works with a vision to create a sustainable and self-dependent society, by generating livelihood
opportunities for rural population. For this, ACF has chosen to work in the selected thrust areas:
• Water Resource Management
• Livelihoods (SEDI and Agro-based)
• Women Empowerment
• Health
• Education
• Infrastructure development
All programmes at ACF are undertaken with community participation with the help of tools like Participatory
Rural Appraisals (PRAs), which ensure better understanding of local –needs and priorities and hence efficient
implementation of programs in varied geographies.
Programmatic Areas
Water Management
Access to water has been one of the priority issues in many villages ACF works in. Hence, since inception, water
resource management has been one of our key programmes, creating an impact on the environment,
groundwater resources, agriculture and allied livelihood activities. The programme lays emphasis on
sustainability through community action, and involves water harvesting, conservation and bringing about an
attitudinal change among communities. ACF's focus has been on creating necessary infrastructure for water
conservation, like check dams and roof rainwater harvesting structures. We also work on reviving traditional
water management resources like ponds, and have also converted mined-out pits to serve as water reservoirs.
These efforts have helped increase water storage capacities and recharged the groundwater in many villages.
Given the varied geographical regions we work in, each water management project is based on local needs,
topology, weather patterns and groundwater conditions.
Years of consistent work in managing and conserving water has shown encouraging impact in communities. The
water table has risen and now farmers are able to grow more than one crop in a year, sometimes up to three
crops in a year. Villagers also have access to clean potable water. ACF’s work on water has helped Ambuja
become 8 times water positive being the only water positive company in India.
Agro Based Livelihoods
Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for the community we work with, who have been largely following
the traditional agricultural methodology. To integrate modern technology and scientific inputs with indigenous
agricultural practices, ACF started the Agro-based livelihood programme.
Agro-based livelihood generation is one of our key programmes, in which, ACF supports farmers through
scientific inputs, promotion of sustainable farming practices, as well as through capacity building programmes
suiting to the local needs.
ACF’s Agro-based livelihood generation programme works with a holistic approach by promoting end-to-end
solutions. The programme fundamentally aims at bridging existing gap in farmers’ traditional farm practices
through capacity building on preferred package of practices, introduction of new technologies and creating
market linkages. The endeavour is to make agriculture and allied activities a sustainable source of livelihood that
is currently reaching out to over 2.5 lakh farmers.
Two unique crop specific programmes initiated by ACF are Better Cotton and System for Rice Intensification
(SRI). ACF’s implementation of the Better Cotton project, a global initiative for sustainable cotton production,
reaches out to more than 2.1 lakh farmers. ACF also works with farmers to promote soil health, animal care by
organizing regular camps. In Darlaghat, local women are trained as para-veterinarians, called Pashu Swasthya
Sevikas (PSS). PSS are thus providing the much needed access to cattle care, improving the status of agriculture
allied activities.
Skill and Entrepreneurship Development Institute (SEDI)
SEDI is a functional structure that offers short and intensive courses in different trades that prepares youth to
enter the occupational world. Focusing on the holistic development of the most underprivileged youth from
rural areas, SEDI aims to achieve sustainable livelihood by strengthening their vocational skills through quality
training. Since the establishment of the first institute in 2006, SEDI has trained over 1,00,000 rural youth in
various trades from 43 different organized sectors and maintains a commendable placement rate of 75%.
Currently, there are 35 SEDIs in 10 states. Basic computer skills, knowledge of functional English and soft skills
are compulsory components of all training programmes conducted at SEDIs. Through the Skill and
Entrepreneurship Development Institutes, ACF has been slowly challenging the social stereotypes and beliefs
too. Training for physically handicapped youth, male nursing attendants and female welders is a live example of
that.
Comprehensive Healthcare
Lack of access to quality health care services is one of the key issues facing rural communities. ACF’s
comprehensive health intervention seeks to bridge this gap by addressing clinical, preventive and promotive
aspects of health across communities in seven states of India.
The programme is led by a cadre of ACF-trained, village-based health workers called sakhis, ensuring basic health
care at the village level, and refer patients for timely medical intervention whenever needed. ACF’s sakhis have
been recognized as valuable service providers in the village, and their work is seen as supportive and
complementary to the National Rural Health Mission.
Till date, ACF has trained more than 368 Sakhis, of which 150 have been absorbed in government vocations such
as ASHA, Aanganwadi workers, etc. Today, Sakhi is also an active participants in promoting health-based
neonatal care, non-communicable diseases, sanitation, tobacco control and adolescent issues. Focused efforts
in tobacco eradication has resulted in 5 villages and 46 schools turned completely tobacco free and also
promotion of cancer awareness.
Malnutrition and Menstrual Hygiene as recently being seen as a trending issue in rural communities. Through
our volunteers and anganwadis we work on identifying SAM and MAM children and referring them to the
Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres. Under Menstrual Hygiene, adolescent girls and women are made aware of
the importance of Menstrual Hygiene. As a livelihood opportunity, we have also set up napking making machines
amongst SHGs who prepare sanitary napkins and also market it.
Women Empowerment
For ACF, the closest indicator of an empowered woman is her social status as a decision making authority.
Gaining financial independence is seen to have a great impact in boosting woman’s confidence and decision
making ability. ACF supports as many as 1142 SHGs across locations and support entrepreneurial initiatives of
the SHGs through regular trainings, skill building and promotion of income generation activities. In Chandrapur
(Maharashtra) and Kodinar (Gujarat), women have built Federations from small SHG groups of 15-20 members
to 2000-3000 women. The Sorath Mahila Mandal in Kodinar has opened its retail outlet, selling readymade
garmets and party accessories. This federation is also recognized as Farmer producer Organization by the Small
Farmer Agribusiness Consortium.
Through various other interventions by ACF, women are now also playing different roles in the field of health,
agriculture and education.
Women’s Federations in Chandrapur (Maharashtra) and Kodinar (Gujarat) have played instrumental role in
encouraging people to construct toilets in their households. The two Federations, with 435 SHGs and over 4800
members are driving communities to adopt hygienic practices. Loans applied for toilet construction are given
prime importance and disbursed on priority.
Quality Education
ACF’s intervention in education seeks to raise the quality of education imparted in village-level government
schools. We also run many non-formal education centers for out-of-school children. The process empowers
children with quality education, and helps them move to mainstream education system, once they are
sufficiently prepared. ACF strengthens school infrastructure and creates positive learning environments to
motivate students and teachers, and support them in learning. It also promotes a habit of reading a sports to
give children the best foundation from which they can pursue a lifetime of learning.
ACF’s education intervention has benefitted 421 schools till date.
Ambuja Manovikas Kendra (AMK) is the only facility for special children in the entire district of Ropar, Punjab. At present
AMK reaches out to 135 children, all broadly fitting in the category of mentally challenged and provides them with a
conducive environment tailored to meet individual development needs.