Marking the International Literacy Day, Kings XI Punjab, a community driven team made today’s afternoon special for the children of Smile Foundation, a National level development organisation. Sandeep Sharma and Karanveer Singh along with Fraser Castellino, COO, Kings XI Punjab visited Smile Foundation centre today to encourage the children towards a brighter future.

Kings XI Punjab has pledged to support Smile Foundation in its mission to change the lives of the disadvantaged girl child through education in India. With the intent to raise awareness about girl education, the players of Kings XI Punjab interacted with the children and engaged in fun activities which left the children with big smiles on their faces!

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Fraser Castellino, COO, Kings XI Punjab, said, “We are happy to work with Smile Foundation and further contribute to their work in the field of girl child education. The players and I are happy to be here today and glad that through our presence we can encourage these kids to live and realize their dreams.” 

Mr. Castellino further added, “Despite significant advancement in recent years, girls continue to suffer exclusion in education systems in India. We strongly believe that it is an intrinsic right of all girls to get equal access to education. Also, drugs are a menace, especially in our catchment area of Punjab, which is affecting many lives and we all as socially responsible citizens must work towards eradicating it.”

Mr. Vikram Singh Verma, COO, Smile Foundation, said, “We believe that education is the most effective tool that can help the less privileged children come out of the vicious cycle of poverty and suffering and we hope this initiative will boost their morale and confidence to further excel in life. Smile Foundation is pleased to get Kings XI Punjab’s involvement in the cause of educating the girl child.”

About Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab is a part of the eight competing teams promoted by Indian Premier League (IPL). It is held and promoted by a consortium, which includes Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul.

About Smile Foundation:

Smile Foundation is a national level development organisation benefitting over 300,000 underprivileged children, their families and the community directly through 158 welfare projects on subjects such as education, healthcare, livelihood, and women empowerment across 25 states of India. Adopting a life cycle approach of development, Smile Foundation focuses its interventions on children, their families and the community.