India's Jagriti Yatra wins charity award in UK

An Indian charity that organises 15-day train journeys around India to understand and build the India of smaller towns and villages through enterprise has won an award in London.

Jagriti Yatra was among a series of worldwide charities and individuals recognised for their impact within their communities at the Asian Voice Charity Awards, powered by due diligence platform Charity Clarity.

"Jagriti Yatra organises 15-day train journeys, covering 800km for 400 young change-makers across India every year. It has created some of India's foremost social entrepreneurs and pioneers of enterprise-led development that cuts across socio-economic boundaries in India," the citation notes.

The journey takes to understand and build the India of smaller towns and villages through enterprise.

The Cleft Lip and Palate Association won the Charity of the Year award for its work as the only UK-wide voluntary organisation helping those affected by cleft lip and palate at a ceremony attended by some of the UK's leading philanthropists, including Indian-origin entrepreneur G.P. Hinduja.

"I do not believe success can be judged by materialistic possessions. Success for our family is doing at least one good deed every day," said Hinduja, co-chair of the Hinduja Group.

The third annual Asian Voice Charity Awards in London, organised by Britain's oldest Asian diaspora publication 'Asian Voice' and Europe's first independent charity due diligence platform Charity Clarity, recognised winners from across Britain, Afghanistan, India, Tibet and attracted an audience from around 40 countries.

The Editor's Award for Community Service went to Sangat Advice Centre, based in Harrow and Wealdstone in north London. The charity helps the local South Asian community with legal information about their rights to welfare benefits, access to debt, immigration issues, anti-discrimination and to tackle homelessness.

"Charities around Britain carry out great work both nationally and internationally. We have witnessed these charities go unnoticed for their valuable efforts and we strongly believe in providing them a platform to recognise such individuals and to inspire others," said CB Patel, Publisher and Editor of 'Asian Voice'.

Pratik Dattani of Charity Clarity added: "The sustained excellence, in terms of the nominations, the rigorous judging process and the calibre of the attendees on the night shows that this is a key event in the diary each year for philanthropists and charities in Britain."

Some of the other winners included Road To Freedom (Startup Of The Year), for its work in providing refugees from war-town countries with immediate aid; National Energy Action for a UK-wide campaign to save energy; and Child to Child (Social Impact Award) for its 40 years of work promoting international child-rights.

A male rape survivor and activist, Alexander Morgan, won the year's Most Inspiring Young Person prize, and Scotland Yard police constable Steve Whitmore was presented with the Most Inspiring Individual prize.

The awards' judging panel this year included Indian-origin peer Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Chair of the City Bridge Trust Alderman Alison Gowan, Head of Philanthropy at the Charities Aid Foundation David Stead, and former chair of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Subhash Thakrar.