Lufthansa launched a unique ‘Calendar of Hope’ initiative today to help street and slum children in India. In a collaborative effort to help spread hope with kindness, the airline has dedicated the 2021 edition of its iconic calendar to support the most vulnerable in the fight against the hardships of COVID-19.

Lufthansa is partnering with ImpactGuru, a Harvard incubated start-up and India's leading healthcare crowdfunding platform for this initiative. This will ensure that 100 per cent of the contribution goes directly to help the children at Aasraa Trust, which supports over 3300 street children in Dehradun, as well as Sunshine Children Education Society, which gives shelter to over 250 slum children in Delhi. The funds will help provide the children with much-needed food, rations, medicines, reusable masks, soaps, sanitizers, warm clothes, blankets, stationary, school supplies, healthcare and uninterrupted education. Both projects have been supported extensively over the years through help alliance, the aid organization of Lufthansa Group employees.

Calendar of Hope ensures that help alliance can continue supporting projects in India. Over the past decade, help alliance has donated almost 3 million euros in Indian projects. It currently supports five projects across the country. Just recently, help alliance was part of a large-scale effort together with a major German TV network to raise funds for a girls’ shelter in Dehradun. With its Calender of Hope, Lufthansa aims to extend a helping hand in collaboration with like-minded people, inviting donations of Rs 201 for each calendar, up to a maximum of 25 calendars.

To contribute towards the cause, please follow the ImpactGuru fundraiser link: https://calendarofhope.impactguru.com/

Speaking about the initiative, George Ettiyil, Senior Director Sales South Asia – Lufthansa Group, said, “Street and slum children are particularly susceptible to the impact of COVID-19. Malnutrition, poverty and poor hygiene make them easy targets in this pandemic. Our 2021 Lufthansa Calendar of Hope exemplifies our collective will to fight this scourge and, despite our hardships, help carry the weakest with us through collaborative strength.”

Ever since the 1950s the Lufthansa calendar has been a timeless tradition. While the calendar’s cover image remains constant throughout the year, the practicality of being able to look at four months at a time and the calendar thereby covering 14 months altogether has lend this calendar its unique character.  Added to this the daily routine of changing the date with a frame in Lufthansa’s iconic yellow on a movable slide bar, conveys a sense of forward direction, imparting each date with hope for a better day ahead. The Lufthansa calendar is so iconic that former versions are trending on eBay as a collector’s item.

About Sunshine Children Education Society
Sunshine Children Education Society (http://www.projectsunshineindia.org/) cares for 265 children who live in a slum in New Delhi. The aim of the project is to give these and other needy children a dignified and happy childhood, and to give them a real chance to escape the cycle of poverty through education. It ensures that these children are enrolled in school and are provided with everything they need – be it clothing, food, school materials, tutoring, after school shelter or medical care.

About Aasraa Trust
Starting with 35 children on the streets of Dehradun, Aasraa Trust (https://aasraatrust.org/) works with over 3350 street and slum children today, empowering them through outreach/awareness programs, mainstreaming, education, educational support, vocational training, nutrition, medical care and providing shelter homes. It aims to break the cycle of poverty and enable a life with dignity with opportunity, care and love for these vulnerable children.

Contact

Deutsche Lufthansa AG
Corporate Communications, Asia-Pacific
Jeffrey James / Sophy Zheng
asiapacificpr(at)dlh.de