THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It began with a boy and an impossible bill. Midway through their 30-year journey, the all-woman charity Asraya faced an unexpected test: finding money for Noufal, an 18-year-old cancer patient from a disadvantaged family who was staring at a leg amputation. They raised the funds, Noufal completed his treatment, and the experience transformed Asraya’s sense of what it could do.
“He grew up into a fine young man. It gave us confidence,” says Santha Jose, founder of Asraya -- known to volunteers, patients, and even doctors at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) as Santha Aunty.
That confidence has since shielded hundreds of children from the financial catastrophe that follows a cancer diagnosis. Santha Aunty founded Asraya in 1996 alongside a group of like-minded women to support families burdened by cancer.
Close to 2,000 children have benefited. Many have become doctors, nurses, engineers and chefs. Those who’ve begun earning have quietly turned around and supported Asraya’s work -- a gesture that fills Santha Aunty with pride.
This Saturday, the volunteers gathered for their 15th Sneha Sangamam at the TSSS Hall in Vellayambalam, bringing together patients and families benefitted from the efforts for an event of recognition and encouragement.
Ten students received cash awards for excellence in studies and extracurricular activities. Career guidance sessions rounded off the day. In 2025-26, there were 360 beneficiaries, with 75 of them have either recovered from cancer or are on the path of recovery.
Asraya’s support extends well beyond education.