Shilpa Shetty to donate her earnings from Dus ka Dum to Belagavi Orphanage

The Mid-Day reports, Shilpa Shetty Kundra won Rs 10 lakh on Salman Khan’s Dus Ka Dum 3 over the weekend and taking her philanthropic work ahead, the actor has donated her earnings to the Shilpa Shetty Foundation.

Having kick-started the initiative eight years ago, Shetty has taken several children’s homes under her wing, underwriting the cost of running them. She says the recent winnings will help her rebuild an orphanage in Belgaum — something that been on her wish list for a while.

“The orphanage in Belgaum houses 60 children who are HIV survivors. For the past eight years, Raj [Kundra, husband] and I have been taking care of their accommodation, food and other needs. With this money, I want to rebuild the place. The renovation could easily cost Rs 40-50 lakh, but it’s a start,” she says. The Name of the Orphanage is however not disclosed. 

The Belgaum children’s shelter, Shetty admits, holds a special place in her heart – it was when she read about the orphanage by chance that her journey to philanthropy kicked off. “I read about this young guy who was single-handedly running the place. He had taken in children who were ostracised because they had HIV. They weren’t even allowed to go to school because of the stigma attached to the illness. When I read that he was providing shelter and education to these kids, I approached him and started funding the orphanage.”