NBS Ahmedabad & Swa Sarjan foundation sign an MoU integrating social impact into student experience

NBS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Swa Sarjan Foundation - an NGO rooted deeply in community work across Gujarat. If you’re unfamiliar with Swa Sarjan, they’re not the kind to chase headlines. Their work speaks in more lasting ways: running awareness drives in underserved neighbourhoods, empowering women through training, and addressing grassroots-level social challenges with persistence and heart.

Swa Sarjan Foundation brings years of grassroots experience in areas above mentioned. To date, it has organized 350+ eye camps, provided 145,000+ pairs of spectacles, facilitated 18,500+ cataract surgeries, and examined 250,000+ patients. Additionally, it runs various employment-linked skill enhancement programs for youth from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

In times where often higher education often stops at the classroom door, this partnership opens it up again, to the streets, to villages, to people who need more than policies or plans. They need action.

Narayana Business School, built sustainably for 24 years, brings its energy, infrastructure, and most importantly, its students—ready to engage with the world beyond their syllabus.

“Today’s students need more than academic credentials, they need context, empathy, and exposure to real-world issues. This partnership will help us embed that into our learning environment,”

— Dr. Purvi Gupta, Dean of Academics, Narayana Business School

Together, the two institutions are set to create a platform where learning meets responsibility, sustainability and social responsibility into their academic programs. From waste management projects to climate change awareness drives, campuses are becoming hubs for practical change.

But here’s the challenge: many of these initiatives remain on paper.

The real test lies in execution, consistency, and student engagement.

That’s where the NBS x Swa Sarjan collaboration stands out. This is not for the internet, this is not for the weekend engagements, this is for embedding community work into the academic journey itself, with structure, mentorship, and real outcomes.

What Students (and society) Can Expect:

Here’s a preview of what this MoU means in action:

• Hands-on projects

Students will participate in real community programs, from health drives to environmental campaigns learning through experience.

• Workshops that go beyond theory

Swa Sarjan will conduct awareness sessions on topics like gender equality, public health, and sustainability backed by field insights.

• Collaborative research

Joint projects will focus on finding practical solutions to social problems, with students contributing to data collection, analysis, and reports.

• Resource exchange

NBS will support these initiatives with space, volunteers, and infrastructure. SSF brings deep field knowledge and access to communities.

• Formal recognition

Students who actively participate will receive certifications, which they can proudly include in their future career portfolios. Beyond certifications, students will develop skills such as project management, teamwork, communication, and social responsibility.

We’ll be sharing updates, stories, student journeys, and reflections from the ground via the NBS blog. If you believe education should be rooted in purpose, we hope you’ll follow along.