Faridabad, March 27, 2019 – Divya Goyal, a Class XI student of Woodstock School, Mussoorie and a resident of Faridabad has been recognized at the 9th Annual Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards (SOCA) hosted by DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Divya has been felicitated for her initiative, ‘Parinda’ which is an awareness drive about the disappearance of sparrows and other birds. Through this campaign, Divya not only made people aware of the dwindling population of birds in the Delhi-NCR region but also inspired them to undertake conservation measures for protecting the dwindling population.
Divya’s story is an inspiring story of an eleventh class student who went to great lengths to achieve this milestone. After noticing a stark difference in the avian population in Delhi NCR and Uttarakhand, Divya started community service campaign, ‘Parinda’. Through this campaign, she created awareness about the dwindling avian population and the measures to protect them. Her efforts resulted in 80 families in Faridabad installing bird feeders.
Sharing her experience about the initiative, Divya said, “The birds act as an ecological indicator and their dwindling numbers signify urban lifestyle change. After my class X exams, I was visiting Himachal Pradesh where I noticed a strong variation in the avian population in the hill state in comparison to Delhi. I saw a flourishing population of sparrows and other birds in the state which are a rarity in Delhi. So I started this awareness programme ‘Parinda’ to talk about the decreasing population of birds and the measures to protect them. So far, we have arranged 100 bird feeders and I am determined to take this further up. The overall experience of this project has been very enriching in terms of both the learnings and the memories it has created”.
The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards is a school-level recognition programme for volunteer community service. The awards programme is an extension of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, the largest youth recognition programme in the United States based exclusively on volunteer service. In India, this awards programme was introduced in 2010 and is open to students in classes VI to XII.
The 9th Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards Presentation Ceremony is scheduled on 30th March, where Olympic medalist and former World No.1 badminton player Saina Nehwal, programme ambassador would be felicitating Divya and other student volunteers for their extraordinary efforts in the area of community service.
The national winners will travel to Washington, D.C. in the last week of April to be a part of the gala award ceremony scheduled to be held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. A tour of the capital's historic monuments and landmarks and a festive dinner cruise on the Potomac River will be part of their itinerary. These students will share their experiences and ideas with volunteers from other participating countries.
About the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards (SOCA)
Introduced in 2010 in India, ‘The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards' is an annual nationwide search to identify and recognize school students in Classes VI - XII who have made a positive difference in their communities through voluntary community service.
The prestigious awards programme organized by DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (DPLI) is the India chapter of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, the largest youth recognition programme in the United States based exclusively on volunteer service. Introduced in 1995 by Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI), DPLI’s international Joint Venture partner, the U.S. programme has officially recognized more than 115,000 school students for their meaningful contribution towards their communities. India is the 8th country outside the United States to conduct the Awards programme. Other participating countries include PFI subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, China, Brazil and Poland.
About DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance
DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance is a joint venture between DHFL Investments Limited (DIL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. (DHFL), one of India’s largest housing finance companies and Prudential International Insurance Holdings, Ltd. (PIIH), a fully owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI), a financial services leader headquartered in the U.S. DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance represents the coming together of two renowned financial services organizations with a legacy of business excellence spread over decades.
DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance has a pan India presence through multiple distribution channels which have been customized to address the specific insurance needs of diverse customer segments. The Company is committed to providing protection and quality financial advice to its customers. For further information on the Company, please visit https://www.dhflpramerica.com