Indian Diaspora in Netherlands raise funds for Kerala

The Indian diaspora in the Netherlands has been mobilizing funds over the last two weeks to aid victims of the floods in Kerala.

A number of Dutch nationals have also participated in the effort, according to a press release from the Indian Embassy here.

The Stichting International Yoga Day, which joined hands with the Indian Embassy to organize the International Day of Yoga celebrations in June, has donated Rs 10 lakh.

The Netherlands Malayalee Association (Nanma) has made an initial contribution of Rs 10 lakh for flood relief.

Rajni Nambiar, who runs The South India Kitchen together with her friends, hosted a fundraising dinner for the flood victims and raised Rs 1 lakh for the Kerala Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund.

The Indian Students Association of the University of Twente, University of Wageningen and other Indian Students Associations are also engaged in fundraising initiatives.

Rakesh Naduvathmana, a young architect from Kerala, has launched a crowdsourcing initiative through GoFundMe.com which has received a good response from both the Indian diaspora and Dutch nationals.

The Embassy is facilitating the routing of these contributions to the Kerala Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund.

--IANS

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