While India is currently observing a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s women hockey team has decided to launch an 18-day fitness challenge from Friday in order to raise funds for needy and migrant families at this difficult time.
Though the fun fitness challenge primarily aims at raising funds for the poor and families of those whose lives have been affected due to COVID-19, it will also encourage people to adapt to an active lifestyle during this forced break.
Reflecting on the challenge, Indian women’s hockey team captain Rani said that the side has decided to work as a team and raise funds to feed at least 1000 families who have been affected by COVID-19.
"During these difficult times when Covid-19 pandemic has affected millions of lives and every day we are reading in the newspapers and social media about so many people struggling for food, we decided to do something to help these people as a team. When we brainstormed for ideas, we thought an online fitness challenge would be the best way to do it and this way, we can also urge people to stay active during the nation-wide lockdown. Through this initiative, our goal is to raise enough funds to feed at least 1000 families," Hockey India official website quoted Rani as saying.
The initiative will require the Indian women’s cricket team come up with fitness tasks ranging from burpees, lunges, squats to spiderman pushups, pogo hops and more.
Every day, a player will post a new challenge and tag 10 people on their respective social media handles and those who take up the challenge could donate Rs 100 or more to the fundraiser.
"Everyday, we will give a fun new challenge that can be done by anybody. Those who take up the challenge can donate Rs100 or more to the fundraiser. We really hope people support us in this cause. All of us in the Indian Women's Hockey Team come from poor economic backgrounds and we have seen days when we have struggled for food and other basics. Today we are in a position to help and we want to ensure poor people get basics like food and sanitary kits," vice-captain Savita said.
On April 14--the last day of the 21-day lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi further extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3 to combat the threat of coronavirus that has affected more than 13,000 persons and claimed the lives of 448 people in India.
