Mumbai: Alaiha's efforts to help critically ill kids reach record book

Alaiha with her parents Husna and Omar. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

A facebook post regarding a two-and-a-half-year-old cancer-afflicted boy's father seeking monetary help for the child's treatment back in 2017 had got 14-year-old Alaiha Vanjara thinking about how she could help such critically ill children. That is when she started circulating messages and raising funds for their treatment. But little did she know that this noble gesture of hers would get her a place in the Limca Book of Records. Alaiha has been recognised as "the student who has raised the largest amount of money for critically ill children in the world".

The record says, "Alaiha Omar Vanjara, a Class 8 student from Bombay Scottish High School, raised Rs 1,23,101 for the medical treatment of Veer Pawar, a critically ill two-and-a-half-year-old child at SRCC Children's Hospital, in October 2017. The money was raised through family, friends and others, apart from R10,000 from her own savings." mid-day had first highlighted the story on November 10, 2017, when she raised the amount (which later became R2.23 lakh) for Pawar's treatment. She had also parted with her savings of R10,000, which she was supposed to use to paint her room on the theme of Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan.

Speaking to mid-day, Husna Vanjara, Alaiha's mother said, "It is a great moment for us as she has been working tirelessly to raise funds for kids suffering from cancer. So far, she has raised a total of R3.36 lakh, which has helped in the treatment of two other children." Apart from raising funds for the cause, she has also been helping the hospital conduct blood donation camps by creating awareness through various online platforms. So far, she has participated in two such camps, and has plans of organising a bigger one on her birthday in April with help from the hospital.

All's well that starts well
In October 2017, Alaiha, a resident of Pedder Road, had come across the post shared by Pawar's father while she was scrolling through her mother's Facebook page. She got extremely concerned about the child and asked her mother to verify the patient's details. Her mother immediately contacted the hospital and confirmed the post's authenticity. Thereafter, Alaiha circulated a message among their friends and relatives seeking funds for the child's treatment. After a couple of follow-ups, help started pouring in.

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