At the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) Summit in Hong Kong, Dr Priti Adani, Chairperson of the Adani Foundation, urged global philanthropists to move beyond charity and embrace philanthropy as a collaborative mission rooted in responsibility.
Addressing a packed audience, she framed philanthropy as a force for sustained change rather than one-time donations.
Dr Adani opened her speech with a story from Kutch, recalling a woman who planted seeds in barren soil.
When asked why, the woman replied, “One day the rains will come, and if the seeds are not planted, there will be nothing for the rains to awaken.”
Dr Adani used this as a metaphor for philanthropy, describing AVPN not just as a network but as ‘rivers flowing into a powerful ocean of change’.
Reflecting on her own journey, Dr Adani spoke of leaving her profession as a young dentist in Ahmedabad to support her husband Gautam Adani’s vision of nation-building.
His belief that true development rests on what is sustained—schools, hospitals, and livelihoods—shaped the creation of the Adani Foundation in 1996.
Adani Foundation’s Impact
Backed by a $7 billion family pledge, the Adani Foundation has become one of India’s largest social impact organisations, working across key sectors and reaching over 9.6 million people in 7,000 villages.
Dr Adani emphasised that the Foundation measures success not in numbers but in human stories.
She highlighted three inspiring stories:
- Vansh, a malnourished three-year-old from Gujarat, regained health after a local woman trained by the Foundation intervened and guided his mother.
- Rekha, a widowed mother of two from Maharashtra, became the first woman to run her village’s milk chilling centre, inspiring over a hundred others.
- Sonal, a student from Mundra, studied at an Adani school, earned a master’s degree in Ireland, and now works at Apple, ranking among the top globally in a finance competition.
“These stories show that beneficiaries need not remain recipients—they can become creators of hope and multipliers of impact,” Dr Adani said.
Delivering a pointed message, Dr Adani told the audience: “This is not a moment to clap; it is a moment to commit.”
She urged philanthropists to act as co-builders rather than mere donors, partnering with governments, businesses, and communities. True change, she argued, lies in transforming beneficiaries into multipliers and in merging skills with values so that growth carries both opportunity and purpose.
Closing her address, Dr Adani returned to her central metaphor of planting seeds during drought.
“We must be the generation that sowed in the drought, believed before the rains came, and built a harvest of dignity and opportunity for all,” she said.
She reminded the gathering that the rains would come. And when they do, history should remember those who planted the seeds, created an ocean of collaboration, and multiplied hope for millions.
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