Team L&M
The darkness which once engulfed 7-year-old Julie’s home (the family does not have an electricity connection) suddenly submerged her into a seemingly unending period of gloom and pain. Life has never been the same for her since the day she became an unfortunate target of her stepfather’s acid attack.
A resident of Budwa village in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Julie was sleeping along with her mother, Rani, when her stepfather poured a mug full of acid which he had bought that day to attack his wife. Unfortunately, the mother escaped while the little girl got badly burnt.
Julie was just a few months old when her mother, Rani, separated from her first husband (Julie’s biological father). Rani re-married but since some months Rani’s second husband had been doubting her of having an extra-marital affair. The result: the man planned to attack Rani; unfortunately little Julie became a victim of his rage. The acid attack burnt her whole upper body.
Julie was initially treated at a private nursing home in Budwa village. Later, NGO Chhanv Foundation, that runs Sheroes Hangout, a cafe to benefit women acid attack survivors in Lucknow, brought her to the city and got her admitted to SGPGI Hospital, where the doctors performed one operation to give some relief to her neck and she can move her neck a bit. But a lot still needs to be done.
Julie’s condition is pitiable. She cannot eat anything except rice as moving her mouth to chew is quite painful. Acid has burnt her face, neck and chest. The burnt skin has shrunk and she is unable to make any movement in her upper body. Scared of pain, the child doesn’t even talk or smile.
While the state government funds the victims of acid attacks, the amount is little and expenses are high. Challenges are aplenty for the mother-daughter duo. The forthcoming medical procedures need lot of money, much more than the amount kept aside for the acid attack victims by the state Government.
The online crowdfunding platform Ketto has initiated a fund-raising campaign for Julie to seek financial support from the crowd.
All of you who are reading this come forward, become a part of this campaign and donate, whatever little you can, to help the girl.
Visit https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/eyesaa and contribute.
