RYTHM Foundation Gives USD40,000 to House Destitute in India

Aug. 7, 2011 - PRLog -- MADURAI (INDIA), August 5, 2011:  RYTHM Foundation, the global Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the QI Group, today presented a cheque for USD40,000 to aid the completion of a home for the less fortunate in Madurai District here.

When fully completed, the eight-block Akshaya Home, an initiative by the Akshaya H.E.L.P Trust, will provide some 450 street people with a safe place to stay.

“The donation will help fund the USD65,000 construction of the seventh block which houses a kitchen, storerooms and a dining hall for its residents,” said RYTHM Foundation trustee, Donna Imson.

She said RYTHM Foundation had also recently launched and facilitates the ‘I’m Making A Difference’   (‘I’m MAD’) Campaign through a QI Group subsidiary and global direct selling leader QNet, to raise additional funds for its world-wide activities.

These include providing financial assistance and donations to numerous causes, charities and fund-raising events. The Trust is the Campaign partner in India.

Donna Imson said over USD20,000 which was raised through sales of ‘I’m MAD’ merchandise had been added to the total sum of USD40,000 donated to the Trust today.

“With the Campaign in place,
RYTHM Foundation is able to unite millions of QNet clients, partners and employees across our subsidiaries to improve the lives of disadvantaged individuals and communities around the world.

“Trust founder Narayanan Krishnan is also making a huge difference to the lives of street people in Madurai. This is why he has been selected as QNet's I’m MAD Campaign Ambassador as well,” she said.

Donna Imson said the Foundation had been involved in
projects in India since 2009, with the most recent being its donation to help set up the Department of Ayurvedic Research at the Sri Sri University in Orissa.

A year later, RYTHM Foundation also embarked on a two-year
partnership  with World Vision International to enrich the lives of 121 impoverished children in 11 countries, including India, with improved education, health care, and support systems.

Explaining how it got involved with the Trust, Imson said this May, RYTHM Foundation presented Narayanan with the V- RYTHM Award which came with a trophy and USD25,000 in cash.

“Upon receiving the award, Narayanan announced that he would use the money to help build the seventh block at Akshaya Home. This inspired us to commit to donating the balance of USD40,000 towards its construction, which is scheduled for completion next March,” she said.

Narayanan was previously nominated among the top 10 winners of the CNN Heroes 2010 Award. He is the first Indian national to receive the award out of 10,000 nominees worldwide.

His mission began in 2002 when he witnessed an elderly man eating his own faeces out of sheer hunger. Since then, his street feeding programme has served a total of some 1.5 million meals at three times a day.

At today’s event, Narayanan said: “Both RYTHM Foundation and the Akshaya H.E.L.P Trust seek to assist those in need. Given our shared mission, I am excited to be the I’m MAD Campaign Ambassador in India … together we can build a more compassionate world.”

About RYTHM Foundation

Derived from the acronym Raise Yourself To Help Mankind, the About RYTHM Foundation was established to emulate the fundamentals on which the QI Group has been built since 1998. RYTHM is the benchmark of all operations within the Group and the Foundation is representative of this spirit and puts into action the corporate philosophy of the QI Group of Companies.

RYTHM Foundation is referred to as the corporate heartbeat of the QI Group and its projects encompass fostering education for children, youth and women empowerment, health and well-being, and promotion of sports and culture in developing countries.

For further information please visit www.rythmfoundation.org

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The QI Group of Companies is a multinational conglomerate comprising a dynamic group of businesses with regional offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia and a wide range of subsidiary companies in nearly 30 countries.