Ketto’s Donations Help Baby Boy Tiger Survive Long Enough to Find Home in Italy
New Delhi : Tiger, now four years old, was adopted by an Italian couple in February of this year after being found abandoned in a gutter just hours after his birth. The infant was found on December...
New Delhi : Tiger, now four years old, was adopted by an Italian couple in February of this year after being found abandoned in a gutter just hours after his birth. The infant was found on December 30 with significant head injuries and illness after drinking contaminated water. Ketto’s fundraising page raised Rs 10.42 lakh (about $180,000) in twenty-four hours for the trauma patient’s care at Wadia Hospital in Mumbai.
Tiger, so named for the resilience that allowed him to survive after being tossed down a sewer, was adopted in Nerul, India, and then travelled to Italy with his new family.
On December 30, 2018, parents Shivaji and Jayashree Ragade found their newborn baby floating in a gutter. The Ragade’s took care of him till he was adopted.
Tiger’s eyes opened up after being treated for 22 days. Yet, the threat had not yet passed. The boy was sent to Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital in Parel, where it was discovered he had several diseases and severe head damage from drinking contaminated water. He needs emergency surgery, but it will cost over 10,000,000 INR. There was no way Shivaji and his wife could have afforded to travel with that much cash. When that happened, medical professionals started suggesting Ketto.
VideoLink : – https://youtu.be/V8Sx656dNjw
“We were out of options and Ketto was a last-ditch effort on our part. We reached out for support, and they helped us set up a fundraiser and did wonders.With we the full support within 24 hours, says Shivaji.
Within minutes of the fundraiser going live on Ketto, donations started to pour in from every part of the country. 24 hours after the appeal was first made, 675 donors had contributed Rs 10.42 lakh towards Tiger’s treatment. After undergoing treatment for nearly 4 months, baby Tiger was discharged and taken to the Child Welfare Committee, Ambernath. He was admitted to Vishwa Balak Kendra, Nerul for further care and adoption.
“When we first heard Tiger’s story, we knew we had to do everything in our power to rally our donors. Over the years, we have been lucky enough to have connected with donors who give with their whole heart to causes they care about – and we know Tiger’s story would speak to their hearts. No child should have to fight for their life and if there’s even a small chance Ketto can help somebody get the care they need, we will take that chance.”, said Varun Sheth, CEO of Ketto.
The Ragade couple themselves wished to adopt the baby but were unable to do so, owing to legal issues.
Ketto.org is Co-founded by Varun Sheth, Zaheer Adenwala, and Actor Kunal Kapoor with an aim to bridge the affordability gap. Ketto.org enables people to raise funds for health and medical emergencies, natural calamities, education, travel, short-term emergency needs, sports, competitions, arts, animal welfare, women empowerment, and many more. Ketto’s primary objective is to use technology to optimize efficiency, reduce redundancy, and increase impact targeting the social sector of the country.
The company is closely working with hospitals, NGOs, and individuals to bring positive change to the community. In the last decade, the brand has raised over INR 1,100 crores for various causes, with more than 5 million donors contributing to these campaigns
