PACT Foundation, the Goa-based education and community development non-profit, has been conferred the Grand Jury Award at the National Inclusion Awards, held at the World Inclusion Conference (WIC) India 2026. The citation recognises the Foundation “for outstanding leadership and contribution in advancing inclusion”.
The award was received by Ms Amelia Ferrao, Co-Founder of PACT Foundation, on stage at Yashobhoomi – India International Convention & Expo Centre, New Delhi. It was presented by Daniel Sobel, Founder and Chair of the International Forum of Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP), and Bhavin Shah of EducationWorld, along with Ravin Nair, Managing Director of QS I-GAUGE.
WIC India 2026 is the first India edition of the World Inclusion Conference, held from 31 July to 1 August 2026 and led by the IFIP, a global network of inclusion practitioners spanning more than 140 countries. Positioned as India’s first and South Asia’s largest conference on building inclusion across society, the two-day gathering follows the inaugural edition held in Almaty in 2025. It convened over 200 global experts and speakers, more than 2,000 educators and policymakers, representatives of 200-plus schools and institutions, and delegates from over 50 countries.
The National Inclusion Awards form part of the conference programme. They recognise individuals and organisations creating measurable impact through inclusion, accessibility and equal opportunity.
Ms Amelia Ferrao, Co-Founder, PACT Foundation, said: this award belongs to the children, teachers and communities of Goa. It began as a deeply felt dream in the heart of our founder, Dr Ashwin Fernandes – a dream to give back to the very soil that raised him, believing that talent is shared equally, even when opportunity is not. From that emotion and conviction, PACT was born. Our task now is to carry his dream further into more classrooms, more villages and more lives. We accept this recognition not as a milestone, but as a solemn responsibility to Goa and its people.
Daniel Sobel, Founder and Chair, International Forum of Inclusion Practitioners (IFIP), said: “Inclusion is judged by what changes on the ground, not by what is written in policy. PACT Foundation has shown what sustained, community-led work can achieve in a single state, and the model travels. The Grand Jury recognised the depth and the discipline of that work. It is exactly the kind of practice the IFIP exists to find and to amplify.”
Other organisations honoured on the day included Salaam Bombay Foundation, Mitti Cafe and ADAPT (Able Disabled All People Together).
