Xavier Bettel (DP) and family minister Corinne Cahen (DP) mingled with the crowds at the Sandweiler cultural centre on Sunday. They and the hundreds of other visitors and supporters bought gifts, took part in workshops and tasted authentic Indian cuisine which, this year, included Dosa pancakes.
“The Mount Everest Challenge was a real highlight,” association director Françoise Binsfeld said, explaining that as part of the challenge Jean-Marie Wildgen climbed 22 kilometres with a gradient of 12% on a treadmill in the hall. Thirty years ago the Luxembourger had adopted two Indian children thanks to the connections the association provided. “That was why he wanted to give something back to us […] His two children were there. They now have their own kids,” the director said.
The bazaar helped raise around €25,000 for the not for profit’s activities in India and Nepal, which this year focus on improving social conditions for women and girls. Among the many projects they highlighted on Sunday are dedicated to fighting child marriage in India and treating women victims of sexual abuse in Nepal following the 1996-2006 civil war. The association’s activities are 80% financed by the development and cooperation ministry.