PA/63/10 15 October 2010
Australian Athletes donate four lakh to Delhi Underprivileged
The athletes of the Australian Commonwealth Games team have made private donations totalling four lakh rupees (A$9,100) to help underprivileged children in Delhi.
Half of the donations will go to ASHA, an organisation providing holistic care to a number of slum colonies across Delhi. The other half will go to KATHA to support their work educating slum children.
“After such an enjoyable time in Delhi, the Australian athletes were keen to give something back” said Australian High Commissioner, Peter Varghese. “We have worked with both ASHA and KATHA previously and know they do excellent work” Varghese added.
KATHA and ASHA both welcomed the gift from Australian athletes.
Ms Parvinder Kaur, Assistant Executive Director of Katha, was delighted to learn of the donation. “It is so kind of the athletes to find time to collect this money in between their busy competition schedules,” she said.
Dr Kiran Martin, Founder and Director of ASHA, thanked the athletes for thinking of the less fortunate. “It is wonderful that the athletes came to this city of contrasts and haven’t forgotten those who are marginalised and excluded,” she said. “The gift is in-line with the spirit of the Commonwealth Games motto of ‘humanity-equality-destiny’,” she added.