New Delhi, 16th May 2023: Commemorating International Climate Day today, The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) – Asia’s largest network of social investors – has launched two new climate impact videos featuring members Axis Bank Foundation and ATE Chandra Foundation. The videos have been launched as part of AVPN’s Climate Impact Leaders video series, an initiative of AVPN’s Climate Action Platform 2.0. The Climate Action Platform aims to drive Asian leadership in the global climate agenda, channel more resources into climate action, and accelerate the global transition to a resilient, sustainable, positive future for all.
The next set of Climate Impact Leader videos shares insights into climate best practices from Dhruvi Shah, CEO, Axis Bank Foundation and Gayatri Nair Lobo, ATE Chandra Foundation in generating positive climate impact.
In the third video, Gayatri shares how ATE Chandra Foundation is scaling climate-positive solutions with tremendous support from Governments and local communities. These long-term solutions are being worked on at the intersection of climate and livelihoods, with a focus on farmers. She shares a rare insight into the challenges that the Foundation faced while deploying these solutions, especially when it came to the water rejuvenation system that they had created to tackle the water crisis in Rajasthan – and how they started inculcating farmers’ feedback in developing unique conservation models and systems.
In the fourth video, Dhruvi sheds light on the inception of Axis Bank Foundation’s Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, which since 2010 has been supporting rural families especially those who are small and marginal farmers, to enhance their income. She urges climate actors to be present, open, and listening to partners on-ground, while also negotiating for better outcomes for the community. She ends the video by requesting a call for collaborative action, where she states that networks like AVPN provide an opportunity for organisations and people to come together to have the hard talk and walk the hard talk.
On the occasion of International Climate Day and the launch of the videos for the Climate Impact Leaders series, Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO, AVPN said, “We are proud to capture the journey of India’s changemakers who have embraced the fight against climate change and integrated positive climate action into their business models. What we can all learn from them are exemplary models of tackling climate change with an intersectional lens – as climate change is disproportionately impacting areas spanning from healthcare to poverty alleviation. We hope by sharing these stories and various programme outcomes, we will be able to urge organisations to integrate a climate lens across their business models”.
The first two videos launched as part of the series last month on Earth Day featured the inspiring work of two foundations – Raintree Foundation and Rainmatter Foundation. Over the next few months, AVPN will launch their last set of videos as part of the series, in hope of influencing greater participation of philanthropy in India’s climate landscape.