Weekend Diwali event in aid of children in India, Nepal

East Meets West Children’s Foundation set to celebrate its 10th anniversary

Kelowna’s East Meets West Children’s Foundation will celebrate its 10th anniversary at its annual Diwali fundraiser this weekend.

“We’re going to be showing everybody where all their money has gone in the last 10 years and what we’ve done,” said Mohini Singh, organizer of the event.

All money raised at the event will go toward supporting orphanages in Kolkata and Mumbai, India, a daycare for children of the working poor outside Kolkata, and programs for women and girls in Nepal.

“The Okanagan has been overthe-top generous . . . and it’s because of people’s generosity that we can do what we’re doing,” said Singh.

The East Meets West Children’s Foundation also supports local people through the Karis Support Society and the Starbright Children’s Development Centre.

“This year, we also sent medical kits to remote tribal communities in the state of Odisha (India), who have no access to immediate health care,” said Singh. “When the water level goes down, the water gets contaminated, and they die by the time they can get medical attention.”

Diwali, one of India’s biggest festivals, is the festival of lights.

“Our goal is to bring hope to the lives of these little children and light into their lives, who would otherwise be surrounded with darkness,” said Singh.

The Diwali dinner and festival will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at Parkinson Recreation Centre.

There are still a few tickets available for the event. Contact Singh at mohinisingh@shaw.ca to buy them.

Tickets cost $100 each and include an authentic Indian meal, Okanagan wines and traditional Indian dancing.