Kings XI Punjab along with Aids Healthcare Foundation and National AIDS Control Organisation takes a pledge to bowl out AIDS from Punjab

Delhi: Taking a leap in their efforts to serve the society better, Kings XI Punjab, a community driven team in association with AIDS Healthcare Foundation, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and Institute for Blind, organized a fun bowl out session with children with HIV & AIDS. The fun-filled six-over bowling session with KXIP players was held during the net practice session of the squad at PCA Stadium, Mohali.

George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Karanveer Singh, Shardul Thakur, Rishi Dhawan, Manan Vohra and Nikhil Naik indulged in the fun and interactive activity with the children with a hope to inspire them to work towards a better and brighter future.

Commenting on the occasion, Mohit Burman, Co-Promoter and Board of Director, Kings XI Punjab said, “All our social initiatives have an underlining objective of contributing to the society and with each effort we hope to give back a little more. Through this association we look forward to amplify the commendable work being undertaken by AHF, NACO and the Institute for the Blind and spread the word amongst our huge fan base.”


Gen. Rajindra Nath (PVSM) Retd., Chairman, Society for the Care of the Blind Chandigarh said, “We are extremely happy for Kings XI Punjab for reaching out to us and giving our children an experience of life-time. The larger objective behind this fun-filled session is to change the mindset of people towards differently abled. We do not seek sympathy from society, we need hand-holding” He further added, “Kings XI Punjab has, through their kind gesture, has set a precedent. We hope that others also come forward emulating from their example and contribute to this social cause by building the lives of those who do not have sight but insight. “


Talking about the initiative, Dr. Sita Ratna Devi, Bureau Chief – India, AIDS Healthcare Foundation said, “This is a part of AHF’s 20x20 global campaign to scale up access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for at least 20 million people globally by year 2020. It is a call to action for those who won’t sit on the sidelines as 23 million people living with HIV suffer and die without life-saving medication globally. Stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV (PLHIV), especially Children infected and affected by AIDS is one of our major areas of concern, since stigma is one of the major reasons why people do not access HIV testing to know their status.” She added that “this event, in collaboration with Kings XI Punjab and National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), is being conducted to generate awareness among the general population on HIV and AIDS and to showcase the need to empathize and treat PLHIV with respect rather than stigmatizing and discriminating them. The larger objective of the 20x20 initiative is to change the global mindset of people towards HIV testing and investing in treatment scale up that would eventually yield humanitarian and economic benefits. We are exceptionally excited to have collaborated with Kings XI Punjab and its players to further promote the cause and would like to thank them for their support.”


Dr. Naresh Goel, DDG Mainstreaming, NACO said on the occasion that "Losing a parent is terrible for any child, but children living in India who lose parents to AIDS face unthinkable hardships. Not only have they watched their parents die, but they are stigmatized for having been associated with HIV and AIDS and are often forced to fend for themselves and their siblings. The result is that a growing number of helpless children are facing a cycle of abuse, neglect, stigmatization, malnutrition, poverty and disease. A multi-pronged holistic approach which operates simultaneously on micro and macro level is the need of the hour. There is a need to monitor the impact of HIV/AIDS on children, estimate the number of orphans and affected, and finally to design child centred prevention and social protection schemes. If we don’t act now, it will have profound impact on the lives of children in times to come."


Apart from this, Kings XI Punjab player David Miller, Manan Vohra and Yogesh Galwalkar recently indulged in a one-over friendly match with the India national blind cricket team. Three players including the captain Shekar Naik from the Blind Cricket team participated in the match. AIDS Healthcare Foundation & KXIP joined hands in 2014 with a goal to spread awareness around HIV & AIDS