More than 100 celebrities have announced plans to appear during We for India: Saving Lives, Protecting Livelihoods, which will be broadcast live via Facebook on August 15. Artists including Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, A.R. Rahman, Ed Sheeran, Sister Sledge, and more will perform along an impressive cast of Bollywood stars to address the devastation India is facing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The three-hour virtual fundraising event, co-produced by The World We Want and Reliance Entertainment, seeks to raise support for vital Covid-19 missions in India that focus on the aftermath of the pandemic, which will be distributed via Give India—the country’s largest fundraising platform.
Hosted by “The White Tiger” star Rajkummar Rao, the event will feature video messages of support from the stars and stand-up comedy, in addition to the musical performances. Proceeds will be used to provide oxygen concentrators, cylinders, ventilators, essential medicines, and ICU units. Funds will also go towards supporting the staffing of vaccination centers and rebuilding the livelihoods of those facing poverty from job loss. Meal and ration kits will be provided to families hit financially by the pandemic. Cash relief will be provided to families who have lost an immediate member to COVID-19.
We For India is conceptualized by The World We Want, a global social impact enterprise launched to accelerate action and progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The organization is a pioneer of major creative campaigns and multi-sector collaborations to leverage public and private sector impact.
“The world has been stunned by stories of families torn apart by the loss of loved ones and businesses forced to close, plunging thousands into poverty,” Natasha Mudhar, founder of The World We Want, shared in a statement to Variety. “We believe in the power that lies in global solidarity when everyone, everywhere comes together in a collective effort to create change. Leveraging the power of popular culture, we hope We For India will entertain and inspire action, encouraging the global population to act now to raise vital funds to not only save lives but to restore, rebuild, and renew lives devastated by the crisis.”
The three-hour virtual fundraiser will be livestreamed on Facebook on August 15—India’s Independence Day, at 10 a.m. EST.
Manish Chopra, director, and head of partnerships, Facebook India, said: “It is truly inspiring to see celebrities and artists from across the globe come together for this noble cause, and as part of our Social for Good initiative, we are happy to partner with We for India to help provide relief to urban and rural communities impacted by COVID-19. Together, we will make a difference.
See a full list of participants below:
Adah Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Ajay Devgn, Ajit Mohan, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Alaya F, Amit Mishra, Amit Tandon, Ananya Panday, Angira Dhar, Ankur Tewari, Annie Lennox, Arjun Kapoor, Arjun Mathur, A.R. Rahman, Atul Satija, Bickram Ghosh, Deepali Khanna, Dia Mirza, Divyenndu Sharma, Dr. Ankesh Sahetya, Dr. Himanshu Mehta, Dr. Sanjay Arora, Dr. Tanu Singhal, Ed Sheeran, Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Guru Randhawa, Harmeet Singh, Harrdy Sandhu, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Imtiaz Ali, Ini Dima-Okojie, Jaaved Jaaferi, Javed Akhtar, Jay Shetty, Jeeveshu Ahluwalia, Johnny Lever, Kabir Khan, Kalki Koechlin, Kanika Kapoor, Karan Johar, Karan Wahi, Kirti Kulhari, Lisa Mishra, Lola Lennox, Mahesh Bhupathi, Malaika Arora, Manish Malhotra, Manjari Fadnnis, Manmeet Singh, Meezaan, Mick Jagger, Mira Kapoor, Mithoon, Nakuul Mehta, Nancy Ajram, Nikhita Gandhi, Nile Rodgers, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Parampara Tandon, Parineeti Chopra, Prabhudeva, Pragya Jaiswal, Prakriti Kakar, Pratik Gandhi, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Purab Kohli, R. Madhavan, Rahul Bose, Rajkumar Hirani, Rajkummar Rao, Rakul Preet Singh, Rannvijay Singha, Remo D’Souza, Ribhu Dasgupta, Rohit Saraf, Sachet Tandon, Saif Ali Khan, Salim Merchant, Sanjana Sanghi, Sanya Malhotra, Sapan Verma, Saqib Saleem, Sara Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan, Shantanu Moitra, Sharad Kelkar, Shekhar Ravjiani, Shibasish Sarkar, Shilpa Rao, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Shreyas Talpade, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Siddhanth Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Sister Sledge ft Sledgendary, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood, Steven Spielberg, Sukriti Kakar, Sulaiman Merchant, Swanand Kirkire, Tanya Maniktala, Tisca Chopra, Tusshar Kapoor, Usha Uthup, Varun Sharma, Vidya Balan, Vikram Bhatt, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vinod Khosla, Vishal Dadlani.
