Rakul Preet Singh-Jackky Bhagnani to catwalk for a cause

Lakshmi Manchu

On February 19, actor-producer Lakshmi Manchu will host the eighth edition of her annual fundraiser fashion show in Hyderabad. The proceeds from the fundraiser will go to her NGO, Teach for Change, which works towards the education of underprivileged children. For the event, a mélange of actors and sports stars - from Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani, to badminton players Saina Nehwal and Parupalli Kashyap - will walk the ramp. Cheering them on from the front row will be the glitterati of the south, including actors Prabhas, Rana Daggubati and Ram Charan. Manchu says the idea is to bring together celebrities from the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada film industries. "It is easier for me to invite them as they know who I am. In Mumbai, I have to introduce myself, and it's a [long] process," she shares.

Teach for Change was founded in 2014 by Chaitanya MRSK and her. Over the past decade, the NGO has worked with 432 government schools across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. With its core idea of supporting government schools, the NGO focuses on flagship volunteer programmes, training government teachers, and imparting digital literacy to high-school students. The actor-philanthropist says, "We teach English and leadership qualities [to the students]. Every year, we add hundreds of schools to our programme since there are so many government schools without [adequate] infrastructure. Education is our fundamental right, and no child should be left behind," she says. Manchu intends to expand the operations across India, with an emphasis on tribal areas.

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Prabhas and Rana Daggubati will attend the do