DUBAI Jingles, a group of Indian expats, has embarked on a carolling campaign to spread Christmas cheer and raise funds for two children suffering from blood cancer.
Campaign initiator Rajiv David told XPRESS: “We are a group of 36 friends and family members. We enjoy singing Christmas carols together. We try to link it with a cause every year. In 2013, we raised Dh20,000 for paralysed worker Sunil Pinto. This year we decided to help four-year-old Daujan Alymzhan Ushurov, and three-year-old Ammar Ebrahim Ali, both suffering from leukaemia at the Dubai Hospital.”
He said Jingles was moved by the plight of the children whose parents are struggling to meet the treatment costs. “How we run to the doctor if our children’s body feels a bit warm or they have a running nose or start coughing. We lose sleep over it in spite of knowing that within days they will be fine. Cheers to our insurance cover, we don’t pay a single penny and the doctor’s visit and medicines are all taken care of.”
Take stock
In contrast, he said: “Can we even imagine hearing the doctor confirm that our three- or four-year-old angel is diagnosed with cancer? Our world would just crumble. But right amongst us there are children who are struggling to live, their parents desperate as their salaries are meagre and they have no medical insurance. Surely, innocent lives don’t deserve to end because their treatment costs are too high?”
He said Jingles visited Dubai Hospital on November 12 to take stock of young needy patients. “We met the staff at the Paediatric Speciality Ward and singled out these two children who need our financial support, best wishes and prayers. Each of them would require around Dh150,000 but the good news is that they have a 95 per cent chance of survival if they complete the treatment. So let us open our hearts to them.”
David said the group, dressed in festive attire, visits the homes of willing residents to render a set of popular carols. “We only go to places where people want us. We sing a few carols over 20 minutes and move on to the next stop. We do our rounds only during the weekends between 3pm and 8 pm.”
He said Jingles had managed to raise Dh30,000 in just one weekend for Ushurov and Ali. “The response to our campaign has been very encouraging but we have a long way to go before our deadline ends on December 12.”
