23 kids get National Childhood Cancer Excellence Awards

School Web Desk 

New Delhi, April 12

Challenges might have broken the heart but not the spirit of  Priti Kuiri, 14-year from West Bengal who has lost her leg during the treatment of cancer. Such demoralising experience in life did not stop her from chasing her dream to become a dancer. She has taken Sudha Chandran as inspiration and is energetically following her passion for dancing.  Janki Gupta is an 11-year-old from Delhi, in whose life the dreaded disease of cancer came when she was just 18 months old and she lost her eyesight due to it. Dejected and depressed Janki fought back hard to live her life to the fullest. She has won many prizes in various competitions like Kavita Paath, poems, storytelling, etc. She has learned to read Bhagwat Gita in Sanskrit and created many videos which are now on YouTube. Amazed by her spirit a media company has launched a digital Bhagwat Gita and presented her with a gift. They are among the 23 children who have been selected for Annual National Childhood Cancer Excellence Awards for academic, creative, and sports achievements. The National Society for Childhood Cancer CANKIDS KIDSCAN organised its 12th Awards Programme for 2021 in New Delhi recently. The award function was held virtually via a Zoom platform. Kaushik Shaparia, Chief Country Officer, Deutsche Bank India (CanKids CSR partner for 6 years now) was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Winners received cash prizes along with trophies and citations.  More than 1300 children with cancer across India applied for the awards and each one of them will receive a medal and certificate. 

The National Childhood Cancer Excellence Awards were instituted in 2007, in recognition of the indomitable courage, and honouring the bravery and spirit of children who have fought cancer. These awards encourage and motivate cancer-affected children to pursue a normal academic and extra-curricular life while proving to society that cancer is a disease that can be faced with a positive attitude and spirit. Over the 12 years of the awards programme over 6500 children with cancer have been recognised and 200 have been awarded.

Speaking on the occasion  Poonam Bagai, Chairman CanKids, said “while focussing on enabling best treatment care and support for a child with cancer our education program team works to keep children learning during treatment and to get back to school/ college, and back to society. Through our Canshala formal schools, school rooms in hospitals & home away from home, learning activity clinics, and ward bedside education we deliver all 3 tracks of formal, non-formal, and therapeutic education. We also provide scholarships for financial support to children in need. CanKids puts a lot of effort into the selection criteria to avail this scholarship program as CanKids team invests ample amount in rigorous screening, background checks, phone & video interviews of kids and their parents. The amount of a merit scholarship is 15,000 per annum up to Class V, Rs 16,000 per annum from Class VI to VIII and Rs  17,500 per annum for Class IX to XII.”