IFI Foundation Earns Global Acclaim for Driving Awareness Against Brain Stroke
Desk,Odishabarta
‘Highly Commended’ Award for ‘Best Campaign in a Low and Middle Income Country’ Category
Brain Stroke has become a major public health challenge globally, demanding urgent policy action
World Stroke Day is observed to promote education on stroke prevention, response, and rehabilitation
Bhubaneswar | May 15, 2026: Odisha-based IFI Foundation has received global recognition from the World Stroke Organization (WSO) for its impactful public health outreach campaign conducted during World Stroke Day 2025. The WSO recently announced the awardees, acknowledging the collective efforts of stroke support organisations and individuals working towards the prevention and management of stroke.
IFI Foundation has been honoured with the ‘Highly Commended’ award in the category of ‘Best Campaign in a Low and Middle Income Country’ for its sustained awareness initiative titled “Spot Stroke Save Lives”.
Congratulating IFI Foundation on the achievement, Professor Jeyaraj Pandian, President of WSO, praised the Foundation’s high-quality communication content, extensive media outreach, and strong alignment with the global WSO #ActFAST symptom recognition campaign.
The WSO also highlighted IFI Foundation’s campaign on its official website, describing it as a “strong multi-platform communication campaign in Odisha State, founded on a good understanding of audience communication needs, high-quality content, and excellent use of social and digital media.”
A total of four stroke support organisations and one individual were recognised globally by WSO under various award categories.
The recognition celebrates IFI Foundation’s continued efforts since 2023 in building community awareness on stroke prevention, early identification, emergency response, rehabilitation, and long-term management through innovative, inclusive, and people-centric multilingual public health communication campaigns.
The Foundation has effectively combined digital outreach with grassroots engagement to spread awareness. Alongside policy advocacy to address the growing stroke burden, IFI encourages young people to act as community stroke spotters and lifesavers.
“We are deeply humbled and encouraged by this recognition. This success belongs collectively to all our partners and stakeholders who stood with us in amplifying the urgent message that stroke is preventable, treatable, and beatable through timely action and awareness,” said Nilambar Rath.
According to the WSO, one in four people worldwide is at risk of experiencing a brain stroke during their lifetime. Stroke continues to remain one of the leading causes of death and disability globally, underlining the urgent need to educate people about symptoms, risk factors, emergency response protocols, rehabilitation support, and preventive lifestyle practices.
