help alliance inaugurates new Girls Shelter in India
The new building will provide a safe home for 200 disadvantaged girls
With a touching ceremony on September 6, a new Girls Shelter Home was inaugurated in our help alliance project in the northern Indian city of Dehradun. After almost three years of construction, 200 girls who are either orphans or who have been abandoned by their parents and were living on the streets now have a new home. In addition to barrier-free access, the building also has newly equipped computer rooms and a learning environment adapted to the girls’ needs. In a country like India, where gender inequality makes it impossible for many girls to pursue their dreams and aspirations, the new Girls Shelter is a safe haven to lay the foundation for a self-determined life.
The Chief Minister of the state of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, was also present at the inauguration. In accordance with Hindu tradition, he lit the lights together with help alliance project manager Sangeeta Sharma (General Manager Sales India).
This was followed by speeches and dance performances by the girls and the event ended with a relaxed lunch.
Here are a few impressions of the inauguration ceremony:
From left to right: Shaila Brijnath (Founder Aasraa Trust), Vikas Varma (COO Mastercard South Asia), Andrea Pernkopf (Managing Director help alliance), Sangeeta Sharma (General Manager Sales India, Lufthansa Group) Neelu Khanna (Aasraa Trust).
This project was also realized thanks to the generous support of Mastercard and the RTL Spendenmarathon, among others. It was therefore particularly gratifying that the Chief Operating Officer of Mastercard South Asia, Vikas Varma also took the trip to Dehradun to attend the inauguration of the Girls Shelter together with help alliance Managing Director Andrea Pernkopf.
“I am very grateful that together with our partners we can now offer the girls a safe home that gives them “wings to fly”,” says Andrea Pernkopf.
