Indian women’s hockey team to raise funds for poor affected by lockdown

The Indian women's hockey team has come up with a fitness challenge to raise funds for the people whose lives have been affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.

Indian women's hockey team skipper Rani Rampal remembered her father's words about the times when her family struggled for food.

The Indian women’s hockey team, currently locked down in Bengaluru, has decided to raise funds to help the poor affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

Beginning Friday, the team would be launching an 18-day fun fitness challenge to raise funds for poor and migrant families through crowdfunding. "Every day we are reading in newspapers and on social media about so many people struggling for food and so decided to do something as a team. We thought an online fitness challenge would be the best way to do it and through this, we can also urge people to adapt to an active lifestyle during the nation-wide lockdown. Our goal is to raise enough funds to feed at least 1000 families,” captain Rani Rampal said.

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“A few days back when my father said, ‘if you did not play hockey and lift us out of poverty, maybe we also would have been in the same condition as so many poor people today,’ it broke my heart. We know the pain of not getting food,” she added.

The players would give a new fitness challenge every day and tag 10 people on their social media handles to take it up and donate minimum Rs.100 to the fundraiser. “We hope people support us. All of us come from poor backgrounds and have been through struggles for food and other basics. Today we are in a position to help,” vice-captain Savita added.

The funds would be donated to Delhi-based NGO Uday Foundation and the proceeds used to provide basic necessities for patients across locations, migrant workers and slum dwellers. Rani had also sponsored food for more than 150 families through Delhi Police in the initial days of lockdown.