Support for Wonderful Nitu
Donation protected
Let's introduce Nitu. At this time we’d like to give a very special thanks to Sabir Mustafa of the main office at BBC in London, and also Abul Kalam Azad of BBC from Dhaka, Bangladesh who gave us the opportunity to cover this story.
Taslima Jahan Nitu was born on September 10th, 2007 to Jusna Begum and Kamrul Hasan. She lives in Shayestanagor, Habiganj (Bangladesh) with her three older siblings. Nitu suffers from Progeria. Progeria is a premature aging disease affecting approximately 1 in 4 million people. The disease is caused by a mutation that weakens the structure of the cell nucleus producing an abnormal protein causing rapid aging. There is no cure. Those suffering rarely live beyond the early teenage years, but with medications designed to help manage symptoms, some have lived to their early twenties.
Nitu became ill, showing symptoms just three months after birth. She was losing her hair at an accelerated rate which concerned her parents greatly. Her skin was very dry and body began to harden even after applications of vaseline and olive oil. Her mother took her to many places in search of answers, but due to the rarity, Nitu was often misdiagnosed. She underwent two years of treatment throughout Habiganj, but the results were not good. Later in 2016, she was treated intermittently in Dhaka, which wasn't much help.
Over the years Nitu has grown to understand well the negligence/ignorance people have towards her and the condition she suffers from. Curious people often will alienate her with their attitudes; other kids are afraid of Nitu. People have branded her as a curse. People make judgmental remarks and pose an ill manner towards her and her family. Unfortunately, they have become isolated from the community they live in.
The family is currently living in conditions below the poverty level. The aggressiveness of the disease on top of the enormous cost of treatments has completely depleted the family savings to nothing. Medication is desperately needed, and doctors suggest a better living environment requiring a positive, tension-free atmosphere is best for Nitu. Yet no action has been taken due to the family’s financial situation.
Kamrul used to be a day laborer, but the isolation has left consistent work and financial stability a mere pipe dream. He wishes to start a welding business as a solution so he can provide the necessities for his family, giving Nitu a better quality of life for her remaining time. It’s important for Kamrul to run a business that can be family-operated providing financial sustenance for support while allowing him to also spend time with Nitu.
A New York-based filmmaking team wishes to document Nitu. Following this enamoring child can raise awareness of her condition. In today's economic climate raising funds and following along with Nitu during this remarkable journey is a story that needs to be heard. The current living location can not accommodate Nitu's basic daily needs and the lack of financial or communal support bring the family tremendous stress and suffering.
All persons involved are volunteering their time and resources to assist the family as much as possible. Funding raised during this time will be used to provide a home that has a bathroom modified for Nitu. Making certain she has access to a better environment, food, and medications is a top priority. The filmmakers will document Nitu throughout the stages until the end. Backers will be updated on her progression monthly, while backers making donations of (insert amount) or more will have a more in-depth continuous exclusive updates. When the cameras stop rolling a final film will be composed, showcasing the events and journey experienced then ultimately released into the festival circuit worldwide.
If our goal is met, 70% of funding goes directly to the family while 30% helps to offset expenses encountered by the volunteers. In the event, donations exceed our expectations all overages will be given to Nitu’s family. Below is a list of all the expenses to support Wonderful Nitu for at least three years or more, which is her estimated lifetime.
Hospital Expenses: $15,000
* Progeria has no cure, but the longevity of Nitu’s life can increase with proper medication and treatments which she would only have access to with the funds mentioned above. Due to the current lack of funds Nitu is limited to hospital visits.
Better Living Environment ( includes special bathroom): $10,000
* Nitu cannot sit properly during her bowl movements. The condition of her body submits her to be standing in an up-right position at all times. She is in desperate need of a specialized bathroom. Also, Nitu doesn’t have her own bedroom. We plan to construct a decent-sized room for her to live in tension-free.
Healthy Food: $10,000
*As we all know, one’s diet is very important to the human body. Nitu is limited to the foods that don’t provide enough nutrients and vitamins as her family simply cannot afford a larger variety. 10,000 would last her a lifetime of healthy organic foods to help her in her healing process.
Transportation (back and forth from home to hospital, approx 300 miles): $5,000
* It’s a very long distance from Nitu’s hometown in Habigang to the capital in Dhaka, where the hospital is located. Nitu needs to travel twice a month, but her family is unable to afford the traveling expenses and is limited to seeing the local doctor which doesn’t specialize in the disease that Nitu has.
Kamrul’s Start-up Welding Business: $10,000
*The area where Nitu and her family lives in high-demand for Welding and is known to be a profitable business. Kamrul has been an efficient Welder in the past but has always worked under an employer. Giving him capital to start his own business will allow him to continue to provide for the many expenses of Nitu. The $10,000 will be used to construct a 1,000 square foot warehouse along with all the necessary equipment.
Team Documentary, Traveling Expenses: $35,000
*Three of us filmmakers will travel to Bangladesh to execute the story and meet 5 other crew members in Bangladesh. The total roundtrip airfare plus local transportation comes out to $6,000 for the three of us. The entire film project will be a low budget of $29,000 which includes the development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution.
We appreciate any and all support, please share.
Taslima Jahan Nitu was born on September 10th, 2007 to Jusna Begum and Kamrul Hasan. She lives in Shayestanagor, Habiganj (Bangladesh) with her three older siblings. Nitu suffers from Progeria. Progeria is a premature aging disease affecting approximately 1 in 4 million people. The disease is caused by a mutation that weakens the structure of the cell nucleus producing an abnormal protein causing rapid aging. There is no cure. Those suffering rarely live beyond the early teenage years, but with medications designed to help manage symptoms, some have lived to their early twenties.
Nitu became ill, showing symptoms just three months after birth. She was losing her hair at an accelerated rate which concerned her parents greatly. Her skin was very dry and body began to harden even after applications of vaseline and olive oil. Her mother took her to many places in search of answers, but due to the rarity, Nitu was often misdiagnosed. She underwent two years of treatment throughout Habiganj, but the results were not good. Later in 2016, she was treated intermittently in Dhaka, which wasn't much help.
Over the years Nitu has grown to understand well the negligence/ignorance people have towards her and the condition she suffers from. Curious people often will alienate her with their attitudes; other kids are afraid of Nitu. People have branded her as a curse. People make judgmental remarks and pose an ill manner towards her and her family. Unfortunately, they have become isolated from the community they live in.
The family is currently living in conditions below the poverty level. The aggressiveness of the disease on top of the enormous cost of treatments has completely depleted the family savings to nothing. Medication is desperately needed, and doctors suggest a better living environment requiring a positive, tension-free atmosphere is best for Nitu. Yet no action has been taken due to the family’s financial situation.
Kamrul used to be a day laborer, but the isolation has left consistent work and financial stability a mere pipe dream. He wishes to start a welding business as a solution so he can provide the necessities for his family, giving Nitu a better quality of life for her remaining time. It’s important for Kamrul to run a business that can be family-operated providing financial sustenance for support while allowing him to also spend time with Nitu.
A New York-based filmmaking team wishes to document Nitu. Following this enamoring child can raise awareness of her condition. In today's economic climate raising funds and following along with Nitu during this remarkable journey is a story that needs to be heard. The current living location can not accommodate Nitu's basic daily needs and the lack of financial or communal support bring the family tremendous stress and suffering.
All persons involved are volunteering their time and resources to assist the family as much as possible. Funding raised during this time will be used to provide a home that has a bathroom modified for Nitu. Making certain she has access to a better environment, food, and medications is a top priority. The filmmakers will document Nitu throughout the stages until the end. Backers will be updated on her progression monthly, while backers making donations of (insert amount) or more will have a more in-depth continuous exclusive updates. When the cameras stop rolling a final film will be composed, showcasing the events and journey experienced then ultimately released into the festival circuit worldwide.
If our goal is met, 70% of funding goes directly to the family while 30% helps to offset expenses encountered by the volunteers. In the event, donations exceed our expectations all overages will be given to Nitu’s family. Below is a list of all the expenses to support Wonderful Nitu for at least three years or more, which is her estimated lifetime.
Hospital Expenses: $15,000
* Progeria has no cure, but the longevity of Nitu’s life can increase with proper medication and treatments which she would only have access to with the funds mentioned above. Due to the current lack of funds Nitu is limited to hospital visits.
Better Living Environment ( includes special bathroom): $10,000
* Nitu cannot sit properly during her bowl movements. The condition of her body submits her to be standing in an up-right position at all times. She is in desperate need of a specialized bathroom. Also, Nitu doesn’t have her own bedroom. We plan to construct a decent-sized room for her to live in tension-free.
Healthy Food: $10,000
*As we all know, one’s diet is very important to the human body. Nitu is limited to the foods that don’t provide enough nutrients and vitamins as her family simply cannot afford a larger variety. 10,000 would last her a lifetime of healthy organic foods to help her in her healing process.
Transportation (back and forth from home to hospital, approx 300 miles): $5,000
* It’s a very long distance from Nitu’s hometown in Habigang to the capital in Dhaka, where the hospital is located. Nitu needs to travel twice a month, but her family is unable to afford the traveling expenses and is limited to seeing the local doctor which doesn’t specialize in the disease that Nitu has.
Kamrul’s Start-up Welding Business: $10,000
*The area where Nitu and her family lives in high-demand for Welding and is known to be a profitable business. Kamrul has been an efficient Welder in the past but has always worked under an employer. Giving him capital to start his own business will allow him to continue to provide for the many expenses of Nitu. The $10,000 will be used to construct a 1,000 square foot warehouse along with all the necessary equipment.
Team Documentary, Traveling Expenses: $35,000
*Three of us filmmakers will travel to Bangladesh to execute the story and meet 5 other crew members in Bangladesh. The total roundtrip airfare plus local transportation comes out to $6,000 for the three of us. The entire film project will be a low budget of $29,000 which includes the development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution.
We appreciate any and all support, please share.
Fundraising team: Human for Human (3)
Sarwar Habib
Organizer
Elmhurst, NY
Alex Moyano
Team member
Kiah Smith
Team member
