Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

‘Fruit Aid’ for cancer patients

Novel scheme: The ‘Fruit Aid’ project is being implemented at the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram through Care Plus, a voluntary organisation.

Thiruvananthapuram: Aid now comes in the form of fruit juice for the cancer patients at Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) here.

An enterprising youngster who is a student in the U.K. has come forward with a project to provide fruit juice free to the patients undergoing chemotherapy at the RCC. The project, which has already taken off, seems to have won appreciation of the doctors as well as the beneficiaries.

For Nilima Ajaikumar, an Honours student at the University of Bath, U.K., being in her home town and chalking out the modalities of ‘Fruit Aid’ has been an enriching experience.

The project was drawn up by her as part of her training at Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). Nilima is a member of SIFE. A non-profit organisation of students with links in 1,800 universities across 47 countries, SIFE is dedicated to nurturing the entrepreneurial skills of university students in a way that both the students and the community benefit.

Students are encouraged to develop and implement projects which are meaningful and create economic opportunities for the community. They are guided in this enterprise by business and university advisers. For students, this is an opportunity to hone their managerial skills while simultaneously serving the community.

The idea is not to hand over money as charity but to create an environment for someone to make money, says Nilima.

The ‘Fruit Aid’ project is being implemented at the RCC through Care Plus, a voluntary organisation working with the palliative care unit in the hospital.

Under the project, 100 patients undergoing chemotherapy will be given a mixed juice of carrot and lime free. The combination of carrots and citrus fruits is recommended by doctors for chemo patients as the beta carotene in carrots helps in fast recuperation and in minimising the side-effects of chemotherapy, Care Plus activists say.

The carrots are steamed lightly to prevent any possible infection. The juice is safe for nasal feeding as it is strained, they claim. It is served in paper cups sealed with cling film.

SIFE has provided for the water purifier, juicer, stove, vessels and the other necessary furniture and will support the project for the next three months.

Four women whose husbands died of cancer have been roped in on daily wages to prepare the juice. It is estimated that at the current scale, the daily expense for the project will come to Rs.1,000. Care Plus activists hope they can find sponsors to sustain the project.

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