Dear reader, My name is Kagiso, I'm 30 years old and I'm an artist in the Netherlands. In January 2025 my partner Nilu and I travelled to India to explore the incredibly rich culture that it has to offer. In Varanasi we promptly met the kindest local named Bali.

Bali showed us around in the city, took us to hidden midnight chai shops, horse riding on the banks of the Ganga and introduced us to his highly hospitable family.

Now Bali is in dire need of medical assistance since he has developed a complex medical condition.

Bali, Nilu and I became fast friends, and often gathered around Varanasi's Ghaats. Bali frequently invited us over to his family's house for dinner. Where Bali's mom served us the kind of authentic Indian food that only an Indian mama can cook. Despite having very little, Bali and his family were ever so generous, and always offered us food and chai, telling us we were always welcome and that their house was our house too. We were immediately embraced as family and they helped us with anything we needed in the weeks we were there.

While we were in Varanasi, Bali's family, who own a very humble dairy farm, had a major setback. Due to the large crowds gathering in Kasi for the Maha Kumbh Mela, the police took two of his cows to "Cow jail". Cows in India are regarded as noble and holy beings, which is why they freely roam the streets. However, this does leave them in a vulnerable position to the whims of law enforcement.

To repay the generosity of Bali's family I decided to give him the €200 it cost him to get his cows back.

In another stroke of bad luck, Bali had a stumble when he went to pick up his cows, and ended up bedridden and with a mysterious haemorrhage on his leg. Due to his poor financial situation Bali put off going to see a doctor for as long as possible. When he eventually did go, the situation was worse than we'd imagined. It wasn't broken or sprained, but affected by a vicious blood clot.

For the months since then, Bali has been bedridden, in a lot of pain, gaining weight, losing hope, and taking large amounts of medicine, that he can't even afford. He's still in the doctors debt, even after I've supported him with €140 since I left India. He needs medicine, pills and injections.

To make matters worse, Bali now also has a kidney-stone, which is causing him even more sharp pains.

Almost daily he updates me, and it breaks my heart to see my friend in such agony.

Compared to western healthcare, these costs are still peanuts, but to Bali and his family it's a financial noose around the neck. That's why I hope that our community can pull together a bit of help to see Bali and his family toward better days. Bali and his family have shown me nothing but generosity despite being in poverty themselves.

Please help me in helping Bali get back on his feet.

Of the €500 goal all will go to Bali and his family. €175 is for the medical debt already accrued. €225 is for effective treatment so Bali can actually get better rather than just take painkillers to endure all the pain he's in. This will also cover the removal of his kidney stone. The last €100 will be to alleviate the pressure on Bali and his family.