An
innovative
experiment
of
raising
charity
funds
through
screening
feature
films
in
cinema
halls
seems
to
have
come
as
a
big
relief
for
nine
cancer-afflicted
girls
in
Karnataka
who
are
now
looking
forward
to
regular
fund
flows
for
uninterrupted
treatment.
Sreeraksha,
Prajna,
Amisha,
Nafisathula
Ifrath,
Devapriya,
Nidhi
Kamat,
Mariyam
Saheera,
Apeksha
and
Fathimath
Misbha,
who
are
undergoing
treatment
at
the
Kasturba
Medical
College
Hospital
in
Mangalore,
require
monetary
support
-
ranging
from
Rs
1
Lakh
to
Rs
3
Lakhs
-
for
cancer
treatment.
NGO
'CanKids
Kidscan'
has
joined
hands
with
producers
of
Kannada
film
The
Plan,
to
raise
awareness
and
funds
for
its
'Girl
Child
Project'
that
offers
treatment
and
support
to
girls
with
cancer.
The
funds
collected
by
the
NGO,
along
with
the
film's
producers
-
Malgudi
Talkies
and
Day
Dream
Creations
-
will
support
the
nine
girls
in
Mangalore
by
offering
treatment,
emotional
and
psychological
support,
transportation,
nutrition,
education,
accommodation
and
social
reintegration.
For
a
daily
wage
labourer
who
is
the
father
of
nine-year-old
Fathimath
Misbha,
diagnosed
with
Acute
Lymphblastic
Leukemia,
the
funds
would
be
a
blessing
for
his
child.
"We
don't
have
money.
If
they
don't
help,
we
would
stop
the
treatment," said
Fathimath's
father.
The
NGO
and
the
film's
producers
are
aiming
to
collect
Rs
12
Lakh
through
crowd
funding
for
the
nine
girls
through
advance
sale
of
tickets
of
a
special
re-release
of
the
movie
in
Mangalore,
Udupi,
Karkala
and
Kundapur
on
April
22.
The
producers
were
about
to
release
a
free
digital
version
of
the
movie
on
YouTube
when
a
call
for
a
donation
from
an
acquaintance
for
the
cancer
treatment
of
a
school
girl
threw
up
the
idea
of
generating
funds
for
charity
through
film
screenings.
The
Mumbai-based
Malgudi
Talkies'
chief
Ashok
Shetty
said:
"My
friends
suggested
that
rather
than
releasing
a
free
version
of
the
film
on
YouTube,
we
could
re-release
it
on
select
screens
and
collect
charity
funds
through
advance
sale
of
tickets."
He
said
donors
can
contribute
and
save
a
girl's
life
and
get
free
tickets
of
The
Plan
by
visiting
http://malguditalkies.in/shop/
The
popular
film,
featuring
Ananth
Nag,
Kousthubh
Jayakumar,
Hemanth,
Sriram,
Gauthami
and
Harish
Roy,
was
first
released
in
November.
"We
are
going
to
colleges
and
cities
to
highlight
the
cause
linked
to
the
re-release
of
the
film.
We
are
aiming
to
collect
Rs
12
lakh
for
the
nine
cancer
bravehearts," Shetty
said.
"For
every
ticket
that
is
sold,
Rs.60
would
be
directed
towards
the
treatment
of
the
nine
girls,"
said
Shetty.
Film
director
Keerthi
said
if
the
experiment
for
the
cause
is
successful,
they
may
continue
to
re-release
the
movie
in
other
parts
of
the
state
too.
All
the
nine
girls
undergoing
treatment
at
KMC
Hospital,
Mangalore,
are
under
the
care
of
Dr.
Harsha
Prasad
L,
assistant
professor
in
the
department
of
paediatrics.
"A
majority
of
childhood
cancers
are
curable.
It
is
a
crime
not
to
seek
medical
help
for
a
girl
child
with
cancer,"
Prasad
maintained.
"The
Girl
Child
Project
campaign
will
help
create
awareness
about
the
importance
of
treating
girls
similar
to
boys,"
he
added.
'CanKids
KidsCan'
chairman
Poonam
Bagai
said:
"Such
a
crowd
funding
initiative
has
been
attempted
first
time
by
us
in
partnership
with
Malgudi
Talkies
and
Day
Dream
Creations."
"Gender
discrimination
in
our
country
is
prevalent
at
all
levels.
In
a
study
in
Haryana
in
2013,
we
found
that
girls
with
cancer
seem
to
be
facing
discrimination
as
compared
to
boys,"
she
said.
"Some
parents
do
not
want
to
inform
relatives
or
neighbors
about
this
ailment
as
it
could
hamper
the
marriage
prospect
of
their
other
children,"
she
said.
The
'CanKids
Girl
Child
project'
aims
to
strengthen
and
empower
girl
patients
and
survivors
to
become
leaders
and
ambassador
of
childhood
cancer,
she
said.
CanKids
Kidscan
is
a
non-profit
organization
for
childhood
Cancer
in
India.
It
works
on
all
aspects
to
bring
a
change
in
childhood
cancer
from
support
services
to
awareness,
advocacy,
stakeholder
engagement,
capacity
building,
quality
care,
research
and
impact.
Cancer
kills
as
many
as
264
children
per
week
in
the
country.
As
many
as
13,726
deaths
due
to
childhood
cancer
occurred
in
India
in
2010,
of
which
is
0.7
percent
of
deaths
were
among
those
aged
one
month
to
14
years.
Source:
IANS
(Anjali
Madan
can
be
contacted
at
anjalimadan79@gmail.com)
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