THE Crafty Indian restaurant in Shipley is launching a fund-raising campaign to help ease the plight of India’s street children.

Restaurant owner Harry Khinda has signed up to become a charity partner for Railway Children, a voluntary organisation which provides protection and shelter for thousands of children forced to live on the streets, through poverty, abuse, violence and neglect.

Harry has witnessed first-hand the suffering and deprivation of India’s street children during visits to relatives in New Delhi.

He said. “I’ve seen with my own eyes the lives these children are forced to live - or should I say “exist”. The future is bleak, with no food or decent clothes, no education and often no parents around to look out for them. This leaves them very vulnerable and at risk from all kinds of dangers.

“For all of India's advancements in recent decades, it's still a very poor nation, where the rich look after themselves and the poor don't stand a chance. As I’m in a position to do something about it, I feel that now, more than ever, is the time to take action.

As a street food venue, there’s a sort of synergy to supporting a charity that feeds children living on the streets."

Harry feels that he is now in a position to help those children in need, and has chosen a smaller charity to ensure that money goes directly to the cause. 

He will be organising fund-raising events and activities to support the charity and will begin by asking each pub-goer to contribute a a discretionary £1 on top of their bill.

The restaurant will then contribute its own donation on top of that raised.

Harry hopes to to raise £100 a week and more than £5,000 over the course of the year as Covid restrictions lift.

Railway Children’s Corporate Partnerships Manager Mary McLaughlin said: “We’re delighted to welcome The Crafty Indian on board as a charity partner. Thanks to our corporate partners and the generosity of their customers, we were able to reach and protect 15,822 vulnerable children last year.

Each £1 donated goes a long way in the developing world so, for example, 89p would pay for a day’s nutritious meals for one child staying in a Railway Children Shelter."