16th March, Mumbai: Deana Uppal, a film maker, philanthropist, entrepreneur and former Miss India UK, has been honored with the prestigious Points of Light award by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak. The award recognizes Uppal’s exceptional work through her charity, the DKU Kindness Diaries Charitable Trust, in supporting poverty-stricken communities in Rajasthan, India.
The Kindness Diaries Trust, founded by Uppal in 2015, has been working tirelessly to address poverty in India through a variety of initiatives. The trust provides food, clothing, and shelter to those in need, and also runs education and vocational training programs to help individuals become self-sufficient.
Alongside the charity work, Deana produced and directed a documentary on the Nomadic community, Gaddia Lohars in Rajasthan: ‘India’s forgotten people’, which can be seen on Netflix. The film resulted in large support for the community.
In a personal letter to Deana, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Your charity DKU Kindness Diaries helps provide access to food, medical supplies, and clean water. You are giving young people the chance to go to school by assisting with the cost of school fees and uniforms. You are helping adults to acquire the vocational skills that will mean they can get better jobs to support their families. And during the pandemic, you helped to make sure oxygen machines and PPE reached hospitals, local police forces and those in need.
“Your kindness and service to others is a wonderful demonstration of the power of the living bridge between the UK and India.”
Deana said “Receiving the Points of Light Award from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is a great honour and fills me with immense gratitude. It is an amazing recognition of the hard work and unwavering commitment of the ‘Kindness Diaries Trust’ team to serve those in need. This award serves as a great inspiration and motivates us to continue making a positive impact in the world through our work. We are truly humbled and grateful for the Prime Minister’s recognition and support of our mission.”
