At Hong Kong Summit, Dr Priti Adani urges global philanthropists to act as ‘co-builders of change’
At the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) summit in Hong Kong, Dr Priti Adani, chairperson of the Adani Foundation, inspired a full house with a powerful message on philanthropy. She urged everyone to go beyond simple charity and turn it into a team effort driven by real responsibility.
Dr Adani kicked off her speech with a touching story from the dry deserts of Kutch in India. She described seeing a woman planting seeds in tough, barren land. When asked why she’d bother in such harsh conditions, the woman simply said, “One day the rains will come, and if we don’t plant now, there’ll be nothing for them to grow.” Dr Adani used this as a perfect metaphor for philanthropists’ work. She called AVPN not just a network, but a “movement of rivers flowing into a powerful ocean of change.”
Sharing her own story, Dr Adani talked about leaving her career as a young dentist in Ahmedabad to join her husband, Gautam Adani, in his mission to build India. He always believed true development isn’t about building things—it’s about keeping them going strong, like schools, hospitals, and jobs that lift entire communities. This vision led to the birth of the Adani Foundation in 1996. Today, it’s one of India’s biggest social impact organizations, supported by the Adani family’s $7 billion pledge to philanthropy.
The foundation tackles key areas like education, healthcare and nutrition, sustainable livelihoods, community infrastructure, and climate action. It reaches over 7,000 villages and impacts more than 9.6 million people across India. But Dr Adani made it clear: success isn’t just about big numbers—it’s about the real lives changed.
She shared heartwarming examples to prove her point. Take little Vansh, a three-year-old boy from Gujarat who weighed only eight kilograms and was fading away. A local woman trained by the Adani Foundation stepped in, taught his mother how to care for him, and soon Vansh bounced back to full health. Then there’s Rekha, a widowed mother of two from Maharashtra. She turned her life around from deep despair to running her village’s first milk chilling center as a woman leader—now, over 100 others follow her example. And don’t forget Sonal from Mundra, who got her education at an Adani school, earned a master’s in Ireland, and now works at Apple. She’s even ranked among the world’s best in a top finance competition.
These stories show how philanthropy in India can transform people from just receiving help to becoming “multipliers of impact”—spreading hope and creating change themselves. Dr Adani’s advice to the crowd was direct: “This isn’t the time to just clap; it’s time to commit.” She pushed for everyone to act as co-builders, not just donors. That means partnering with governments, businesses, and communities to make every effort count. Turn beneficiaries into leaders who extend the good work, and blend skills with strong values so growth brings real purpose, not just chances.
Wrapping up, Dr Adani circled back to that seed-planting image. “We must be the generation that sows in the drought, believes before the rains arrive, and builds a harvest of dignity and opportunity for all,” she said. She reminded the audience that the rains will come—and when they do, history will credit this group for planting the seeds, uniting like rivers into an ocean of collaboration, and multiplying hope for millions through effective philanthropy.
