The event witnessed 26 NGO finalists that were shortlisted from over 300 entries
Spirit of Humanity, an initiative by Americares India has recognised and rewarded six NGOs within various categories in its finale held recently in Mumbai.
The participating organisations underwent three rigorous rounds of shortlisting and, following the national round in the afternoon, the winners were declared in a grand award ceremony hosted in evening. This year, the Spirit of Humanity Awards reserved five categories for NGOs with an annual budget of up to INR 3 crores. These categories were — child care, disability, education, health and women’s empowerment.
A new award category for ‘Social Impact’ was introduced for non-profit organisations with an annual budget of INR 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 9th Spirit of Humanity Awards was a melting pot of not-for-profit organisations, academia, government authorities, thought leaders and corporations.
The winner in each award category was:
| Category | Winning NGO |
| Child care | Toybank Opentree Foundation, Maharashtra |
| Disability | Vidya Sagar, Tamilnadu |
| Education | Voice4Girls, Telangana |
| Health | Pahal jan Sahayog Vikas Sansthan, Madhya Pradesh |
| Women empowerment | Lok Astha Sea Sansthan, Chattisgarh |
| Social impact | CDD Society, Karnataka |
Apart from celebrating the NGOs’ successes, the event aided sustained engagement and cross learning.
The guest of honour for the event was Dr Abhay Bang, Founder Director of SEARCH, a non-profit organisation engaged in child health. He delivered a keynote address wherein he emphasised the importance of good health.
The 9th Spirit of Humanity Awards was organised with the support of Abbott, Americares, JW Marriott, KPMG in India, SPJIMR and The Hans Foundation. The winners of the award 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.