Ronald McDonald House Charities India chapter celebrates its 7th anniversary

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) India, the CSR arm of McDonald’s India, marked its 7th year of service, reaffirming its commitment to support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of terminally ill children and their families. Since its founding in 2016, the charity has worked to ensure that families have good quality access to care and resources at the Ronald McDonald Family Room (RMFR) when their children undergo cancer treatment. 

Since the launch, RMHC India has benefitted close to 19,000 kids and over 39,200 lives of families from Maharashtra and neighboring states coming for treatment at the Outpatient Department of the _Paediatric Haematology-Oncology ward of Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai, where the RMFR is located. Most of the children and their families that frequent the RMHC Family Room, come from remote, rural locations in India owing to the lack of healthcare facilities in their hometowns. It serves as a comfortable and welcoming space within the hospital wherein families can take a break from the stressful hospital atmosphere. The room offers an improved medical environment, emotional support for parents, clean and hygienic play activities for kids, and the opportunity for relaxation for all family members. 

Additionally, RMHC works towards offering families physical, educational, and psychological support to be present and involved in their child’s care. It focuses on bringing together families of cancer patients with doctors and community experts to discuss the issues they face while battling their kids’ cancer. The effort is towards dispelling myths associated with cancer, to boost the morale of families and break the taboos associated with it. As part of this initiative, RMHC recently held its first Care Conference, which aimed at shedding light on the prevalent cancer biases, inspiring change, and fostering an understanding and supportive community environment. 

Smita Jatia, Chairwoman, RMHC India said, “Since our founding, our mission has been simple – to ease the burden of childhood illness on families and children. We are stoked to have completed 7 successful years of caring and providing for several children and their families. At RMHC, we are continuously working towards ensuring that we are able to provide a warm and comfortable space for patients and their families as they undergo critical treatments.  Here on, we are motivated to stay committed and would like to reaffirm our mission of building more family-centered programs to promote holistic well-being for children and families”. 

The Family Room is well equipped with a vibrant and encouraging environment, that allows children to engage in activities that interest them, be it playing with toys or reading books. Besides, it also offers a waiting room and refreshments area for families and a play corner for children. The hospital is well-manned with doctors, nurses, etc. who provide round-the-clock assistance and care, both medically and psychologically. 

Ronald McDonald House Charities is creating a huge positive impact through its global network of 368 Ronald McDonald Houses in 64 countries. The RMHC facility establishes and promotes care centers, care rooms, and care houses to benefit all families whose children have been undergoing medical treatment for their critical illnesses.