The Cobra Foundation

Submitted by India Week on Wed 07/03/12

Chairman of the Cobra Foundation, Patrick Shervington MBE, explains the work of this charity that has deep roots in both the UK and India.

"In 2005, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of Cobra Beer Limited, Karan Bilimoria, founder of the company, resolved to form a charitable trust. Its objectives are defined as follows:

Cobra Foundation is an independent charity, registered in the United Kingdom, providing health, education and community support for young people in South Asia, especially through the provision of safe water. Our charitable objectives include giving help with Disaster Relief in the Region.

The Region extends from Afghanistan to Burma or Myanmar and includes the core countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, together with Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal.

Our Support

In the 7 years since our registration, the Foundation has supported more than 150 charities and good causes, either with financial grants or the provision of complimentary Cobra beer for fundraising events. A particularly popular prize is a free Cobra Beer every day for a year! This comes with the important DrinkAware cautionary advice: please drink responsibly. All the students reading this piece will, of course, understand and follow this guidance!

As well as funding sanitation and school building projects we have brought two Indian doctors to the UK for three month attachments at leading training hospitals. Both Karan Bilimoria and his distinguished late father have educational awards named after them; the General Bilimoria Scholarship and the Lord Bilimoria Sixth Form Bursary. They are helping able students from poor backgrounds to complete their education.

There were generous responses to our appeals for funds for relief from Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh in 2007; the Bihar floods in India in 2008 and the widespread floods in Pakistan in 2010. It is certain that natural or man-made disasters will strike in the future and we will again play our part.

The logo of Cobra Foundation (shown above) is a mother elephant with her offspring and it reminds us never to forget those in need.

FREE EVENT: Both Patrick Shervington MBE and Lord Bilimoria will be speaking at a free event tomorrow evening (Thursday 8th March) in Central London. Please join us for their talks and a drinks reception at International Student House.
Click here for more details.