Cathay Pacific Airways spends a day at the mall with children from Bala Ashramam

Chennai, November 27, 2014 (STAT):-The Cathay Pacific Airways team in Chennai team took more than 26 children from Bala Ashramam to visit Phoenix Mall where they were treated to a 45 minute 4 Dimensional show screening. This was the first activity of its kind to be organized for these children and they had a wonderful time. Cathay Pacific Airways organized transport to and from the mall and later sponsored lunch for the children and staff after the visit.

Bala Ashramam is a Non Governmental Organisation founded by Mr. Chenthamarai Kannan. He began with a day care centre for Tsunami affected children and later formed this ashram for children whose parents were diagnosed with positive HIV and were immune to treatment. These children are provided with shelter, food and education by the Ashramam.

Charlie Stewart-Cox, General Manager South Asia, Middle East & Africa says, “At Cathay Pacific and Dragonair we are committed to contributing to the community wherever possible. It’s great to work with organisations like Bala Ashramam that support a noble cause. We recognise that most of the great community work associated with our airline is a result of the substantial volunteering activities of our own staff. We are delighted to be able to contribute and would like to plan more of such events in the future.”

Chenthamarai Kannan, Founder, Bala Ashramam says, “We are grateful to the Cathay Pacific Airways team for taking this step forward to spend time with these children. It’s the first time these children have visited a mall and they thoroughly enjoyed their time there. This experience has also given them a glimpse of the city outside the Ashram, which, we are sure will motivate them to work towards completing their education and be responsible citizens.”

In recent years Cathay Pacific Airways along with sister airline Dragonair has worked with Habitat for Humanity in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, Muktangan in Mumbai, Udavam Karangal in Chennai, Naandi Foundation and Manchikalalu Organisation in Hyderabad, Butterflies in Delhi and Calcutta Rescue in Kolkata. The airline believes in enhancing the quality of life in the communities they operate.