NGO raises over Rs 650,000 with Global Citizen Festival India

Miracle Foundation, a NGO based here and in the US, in partnership with the Global Citizen Festival has raised over Rs 6.5 lakhs through online crowdfunding agency Ketto, to benefit orphaned children.

Several hundred campaigners have created fundraiser pages for Miracle Foundation India on the Ketto platform with 210 donors having contributed to the total collected fund of Rs 6,80,556 so far, with the highest donor amount on a single fundraiser page being Rs 3,93,501.

The total funds collected at the end of this online crowdfunding campaign will be used for providing education opportunities and scholarships to orphaned children in India through the NGO's programmes.

Kunal Kapoor, co-founder, Ketto, said in a statement: "We are happy that we were able to make a difference and raise funds through our online crowdfunding campaign. We are overwhelmed with the response received from the donors who have contributed generously for this great cause. The money will be used towards uplifting the lives of orphaned children in India."

The dedicated crowdfunding was launched as an initiative for raising funds directly for Global Citizen India's partner NGOs and to offer participants the chance to earn free Global Citizen Festival India tickets.

The first 50 Global Citizen campaigners to raise Rs 50,000 on their page for the Miracle Foundation were awarded four free tickets each to the Global Citizen India Festival, where performers like Coldplay and Jay Z will take to the stage in Mumbai on Saturday.

Responding to the success of the crowdfunding campaign, Caroline Boudreaux, founder of Miracle Foundation, said: "We are committed to bringing life-changing care for children without parental care in India, and empowering them to reach their full potential."

The Global Citizen Festival India is Global Citizen India's first initiative, which brings together youth with leaders from across private industry, government, and non-governmental, community and religious organisations to amplify the voice of young people and hold leaders accountable to drive positive change.

The format will be a celebration of change-makers from across rural and urban India, performances by leading artists, inspirational speeches, short films and most importantly commitments from government, business leaders and civil society in support of India's leadership role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

--IANS

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