News Category: Press Releases

Engro Foundation announces recipients of IATC Impact Awards 2021

Engro Foundation, the social investment arm of Engro Corporation, has announced the two recipients of its flagship initiative, I Am The Change (IATC) Impact Awards 2021, in recognition of these organizations’ tireless efforts to support the fight against COVID-19 across Pakistan.

The IATC Impact Awards 2021 attracted more than 70 applications in the two categories of social enterprises and social development organizations. Following an extensive review of the applications by a jury and the IATC team at Engro Foundation, WonderTree (social enterprise category) and Charity Right Pakistan (social development) were selected as the recipients of IATC Impact Awards 2021. Each of these recipients will be given a cash prize of PKR 2 million in recognition of their efforts and support to scale up their initiatives.

Charity Right Pakistan believes in a fair and equal world by overcoming hunger in hard-to-reach areas. Amidst COVID-19, the organization distributed ration packs to around 13,000 families and launched Right Choice stores to offer discounts on staples, along with a Right Pay Card to enable the beneficiaries to receive necessities from these stores. WonderTree, the second recipient, was recognized for using augmented reality to gamify physiotherapy and educational exercises for children with special needs. The team has helped more than 16,000 children with disabilities by providing physiotherapy and interactive sessions. WonderTree went on to adapt their programs to enable them to be used at home so that children with disabilities could continue their physiotherapy and educational regime, even in COVID-lockdowns.

Runners-up of the IATC Impact Awards 2021 include Orange Tree Foundation, Karachi Down Syndrome Program, Science Fuse and Umang Pakistan.

According to Ghias Khan – President & CEO of Engro Corporation and Chairman Board of Trustees of Engro Foundation, “We are humbled by the overwhelming response to the I Am The Change Impact Awards 2021. A wide variety of organizations shared their inspiring work – ranging from education to mental health, food distribution and caring for persons with disabilities. It is heartening to learn how each one of us embraced our individual responsibilities and stepped up our efforts to help Pakistan in its current recovery. Every year, these contributions motivate us to further expand IATC’s outreach to recognize change-makers for good in Pakistan.”

Favad Soomro, Head of Engro Foundation, added that, “All IATC award applicants, especially the recipients, have gone above and beyond in this time of crisis. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and respect to everyone who has helped Pakistan fight against COVID-19.”

At the IATC Impact Awards 2020, Engro Foundation recognized the achievements of eight frontline heroes for their service to the community in the fight against COVID-19. Back in 2020, at the onset of COVID-19, Mr. Hussain Dawood – Chairman of Engro Corporation and Dawood Hercules Corporation, had announced a PKR 1 billion pledge to support COVID-19 relief efforts on multiple fronts as well.

Watch the IATC Impact Awards 2021 here: Recipients of IATC Impact Awards 2021

Engro Foundation honours COVID- 19 frontline heroes in first-ever virtual IATC Awards

December 9, 2020: Engro Foundation, the social investment arm of Engro Corporation, has recognized the achievements of Pakistan’s COVID-19 frontline heroes and announced eight recipients of its flagship I Am The Change (IATC) Awards.

Amidst the global pandemic, the IATC 2020 invited frontline workers, who could be self-nominated or nominated by supervisors/head of organizations, to share their inspiring impact stories and how they have been able to create community impact in the fight against COVID-19. More than 100 applications were received in five categories for a chance to receive support and recognition for work carried out. The award categories included public sector health professionals, healthcare workers, doctors, NGO or industry workers, and field staff of a NGO or industry tackling COVID-19.

Following an extensive review of applications by the external jury and IATC team at Engro Foundation, eight recipients were chosen from diverse backgrounds. This year’s IATC award recipients include Dr. Sonia Qureshi, Dr. Osama Hussain, Dr. Syed Ghazanfar Saleem, Bilqees Abdul Shakoor, Asif Abul Hasan, Raja Muhammad Iqbal, Naveed Pervez and Sana Sharif. Each recipient will be given a cash award of PKR 500,000 in recognition of their efforts.

Their inspiring stories showcase how they are assisting medical camps, providing essential relief services, setting up emergency protocols, supporting families of individuals with Down syndrome, conducting information dissemination and awareness drives, fundraising for ration supplies and establishing free legal aid clinics.

According to Ghias Khan – President & CEO of Engro Corporation and Trustee of Engro Foundation, “The IATC award recipients truly depict how heroes are born in times of crisis. As a Pakistani organization committed to solving some of the most pressing issues of our time, it is a very humbling experience for us to learn from and celebrate the achievements of these individuals and institutions who rose to the occasion. Together, InshAllah we will emerge stronger and united as a nation from this pandemic.”

Favad Soomro, Head of Engro Foundation, added that, “While the IATC award recipients deserve special acknowledgement, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude and respect to all frontline heroes. Their service to the communities, and Pakistan at large, has helped mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.”

Earlier in April, Mr. Hussain Dawood – Chairman of Engro Corporation and Dawood Hercules Corporation, had announced a PKR 1 billion pledge to support COVID-19 relief efforts on multiple fronts as well.