“The most touching wishes are those in which the children want to become something, such as a doctor, a fairy or even a pilot,” says Patra, my mentor and the foundation’s programme manager in Delhi. Like an 11-year-old child in Ahmedabad, who wanted to be a pilot. The MAWF got in touch with Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd, which allowed them to bring the child and let him spend time with one of the staff pilots for a day. He got to wear a uniform, sat in the cockpit, and even “flew” the helicopter as a co-pilot.
Another wish that stands out is one by 15-year-old Ravi, also in Ahmedabad, who wanted to become a policeman for a day. MAWF approached the local police station and with their help had him sworn into the city police force, where he got to patrol the city and issue traffic tickets to offenders.
The foundation was started in India by Gita and Uday Joshi in 1996, after their son Gandhar, who was suffering from leukaemia, had been granted his wish to spend a couple of days in Disneyland by the foundation’s main branch in the US (he passed away a couple of months later). The couple was so touched by the selflessness of the action that they came back and established the foundation’s Indian arm, which is now headquartered in Mumbai.
Over the past 12 years, the foundation has granted at least 14,000 wishes in the nine cities— Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Bangalore and Pune—where it has centres. “We try and grant the wishes as soon as possible since many of these kids don’t even have a month more to live,” says Patra.
Back at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, we have a wish for a red dress and a pair of blue jeans from Neha.
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If you want to volunteer
MAWF is always in need of volunteers to talk to the children and find out their wishes and for event-specific work. For fieldwork, people with a background in psychology are preferred because “such people can talk to the kids better”. The volunteer work is usually for a minimum of six months and it requires two days’ training with MAWF.
011-41823514
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Rs5,000 for this charity can
Be added to the foundation’s central bank and used to fulfil any number of wishes
Fulfil a wish from the foundation’s pending list that you want to sponsor. A photograph of the wish-granting ceremony, along with the child’s details, are sent to the donor, who can choose to be present at the time the wish is granted
Sponsor an event. The foundation organizes regular events such as sponsoring someone at the forthcoming Delhi half-marathon
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People like us
Cancer Foundation of India
Money: The foundation works for the prevention and detection of cancer in rural areas in West Bengal. Donations will be used to fund research.
Time: People with a medical background are needed to accompany workers to rural areas on projects.
Contact: Email cfindia@hotmail.com
Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA)
Money: Although donations of all amounts are welcome, Rs40,000 will sponsor a child for a year, paying for medicines, counselling, food, clothing, accommodation and education. Donors will be sent regular progress reports of the child they sponsor, irrespective of the amount donated. Donors can also sponsor gifts or wishes for the children.