On 26 May 2026, Asha was honoured to welcome a distinguished delegation from the University of Queensland, Australia, to its Mayapuri Centre in Delhi. The delegation was led by Chancellor Peter Varghese AO and included Professor Deborah Terry AC, President and Vice-Chancellor; Mr Brett Lovegrove, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Partnerships); Professor Liesl Folks, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology; Professor Melissa Brown, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science; Professor Matthew Morell, Institute Director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation; and Mr Ashwin Sreekumar, Principal Advisor, Marketing and Partnerships.
The visit celebrated the longstanding partnership between Asha and the University of Queensland and highlighted the transformative role of education in creating opportunities for young people from disadvantaged communities.
A key moment of the visit was the presentation of a scholarship certificate to Surabhi, an Asha student from a Delhi slum community, who will travel to Australia in July to commence a Master’s degree in International Relations at the University of Queensland.
Welcoming the delegation, Dr Kiran shared that more than 7,000 young people from Asha communities have been supported to pursue university education in India. She also highlighted that eleven Asha students have studied or are currently studying at Australian universities on full scholarships, reflecting the growing global opportunities available to talented young people from underserved communities.
The delegation met with Asha students and graduates, who shared their educational journeys, challenges, achievements, and future aspirations. They spoke about the support they had received through Asha, including academic guidance, spoken English training, access to technology, internships, and career development opportunities.
Addressing the students, Chancellor Peter Varghese and Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry offered words of encouragement and inspiration. Chancellor Varghese emphasised that while organisations such as Asha can create opportunities, it is the responsibility of young people to take the initiative to pursue them. He noted that resilience is a valuable strength, but that resilience must be combined with hard work, commitment, and perseverance to achieve success.
The delegation also received an overview of Asha’s integrated healthcare and community development programmes and learned how Asha’s work in health, education, and community empowerment has contributed to lasting change across Delhi’s slum communities over nearly four decades.
Asha extends its sincere gratitude to the University of Queensland delegation for taking the time to visit an Asha slum community and engage directly with students.
