The coronavirus has caused mayhem across the globe, with life and livelihood taking a negative toll. One of the nations most affected by it is India, with more than three lakh deaths reported so far. The second wave is easing off in the country, which was made possible by help from organizations from across the world, in the form of medical equipment and medicines. In line with this, the Chelsea Football Club has done its bit to help defeat the invisible enemy in the country. In collaboration with Plan International, Chelsea Foundation has successfully raised funds that will be donated to India. Plan International is a humanitarian organization that primarily works in Africa, the Americas, and Asia for the welfare of kids and the girl child.
To raise the funds, Plan International and Chelsea Foundation auctioned off shirts of some of its players from their successful UEFA Champions League campaign. The team led by manager Thomas Tuchel had defeated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the final at Porto on May 30.
Shirts belonging to Mason Mount, Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, and Hakim Ziyech managed to raise £22,225 (approx. Rs 22 lakh rupee) on the Matchwornshirt.com platform. Chelsea then matched the fund, doubling the funds raised to £44,450.
The funds will be used to help families who have faced the brunt of the second wave of the virus in the form of food and education. Alongside this, hospitals will receive PPE and other medical kits used to tackle the virus.
Bruce Buck, Chairman of Chelsea Football Club expressed delight at the initiative, which will contribute in a significant way to improve the lives of few families in India.
“I’m proud to see our fans and the club unite behind such an important cause and continue support for our charity partner, Plan International. Donations will go directly to help vulnerable families and we hope will make a real difference to the lives of people in India as they continue to battle the pandemic’s second wave.”