Shenzhen's Indian community yesterday donated 21,000 yuan (US$2,625) in cash, which had been raised through an Indian food festival Sunday, to the Women's Federation of Futian District for the benefit of more than 100 impoverished children in the district.

Officials from the women's federation thanked the Indian community for their kindness and generosity, saying it was one of the best gifts the children could have received ahead of International Children's Day, which falls tomorrow. The donation will be used to cover the schooling of children in poor families, officials said.

The Indian Food and Fun Fair held in Kingglory Plaza in Luohu District on Sunday drew more than 700 people and raised 21,000 yuan. It was later described by a Chinese newspaper as the largest get-together of Indians in the city, which "might have attracted almost all the Indians in town." Currently there are an estimated 2,000 Indians living in Shenzhen.

In another gesture of goodwill, some Indian children were invited to perform a dance at a party held in Futian District by the women's federation yesterday.

Meenakshi Ahuja, a member of the Indian community, said: "We live in Shenzhen and enjoy the life here. Many Indian families have settled down here. So as part of the city, we want to contribute as long as we can."

"Since early this year when we learned from the Shenzhen Daily that there were also poor children in the city, who were prone to dropout of school, we were planning to do something to help them," Ahuja said.

Some Indians also plan to sponsor the education of poor students on a one-to-one basis, with each family or person subsidizing a different student.

The Shenzhen Daily jointly launched a charity drive with the Women's Federation of Futian District in January this year, in which the newspaper covered the stories of 11 impoverished children and called on society to help them.

According to the Women's Federation of Futian District, the donation from the Indian community took the total money received to 31,000 yuan. Many Shenzhen residents have also contributed to the charity drive.

(Shenzhen Daily May 31, 2006)