The American India Foundation raised over $1.1 million much more than it hoped for for its programmes in India during its Spring Gala Benefit here last week, the organization said on Monday.
"The amount raised at the May 16 gala dinner exceeded our expectations as we hoped to collect about a million dollar," an AIF spokesperson told rediff.com.
Over 550 people, including corporate executives, diplomats, artists and journalists, attended the event at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. One highlight of the benefit gala was the announcement of a partnership between AIF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to get the Indian American community to support the fight against HIV/AIDS in India.
"We have a small window of opportunity to contain this epidemic by scaling up proven efforts to prevent HIV," said Pradeep Kashyap, executive director of AIF.
This is the first time that AIF has focused on public health with emphasis on HIV/AIDS. Since its inception in 2001, it has taken up the issues of education, especially elementary education, and women's empowerment in a bid to accelerate social and economic change in India.