BENGALURU: The Australian Consulate-General, Chennai, announced a partnership with Samarthanam Trust For The Disabled in Bengaluru on Friday, supporting the Karnataka Women’s Blind Cricket Team.
Andrew Collister, Vice Consul, said, “We are delighted to announce this partnership on the same day as Australia plays India in the opening game of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Sydney, Australia. Australia is proud to support women’s cricket from grassroots to the elite.”
Under the grant, the Karnataka Women’s Blind Cricket Team will get access to quality coaching and training, enabling the players to represent India at an international level. The women also receive skills training through Samarthanam including spoken English, self-defence and computer literacy.
Under the partnership, the Women’s Blind Cricket Team in Karnataka will receive a Direct Aid Program grant of Rs 8,00,000. The partnership was announced in presence of Mahantesh G K, founder and managing trustee of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. “Harnessing the power of sport to promote gender equality, disability inclusion and create leadership pathways is a goal of the Australian Government under our Sports Diplomacy 2030 strategy,” added Collister. Australia is hosting the women’s T20 Cricket World Cup till March 8.