Miss Britain to aid acid attack survivors

LUCKNOW: Seven-year-old acid attack survivor Julie's education will be personally funded by beauty queen Anna Maria Burdzy, who is the Great Britain candidate for Miss Universe pageant this year. The beauty queen made the announcement at Lucknow's Sheroes Hangout Cafe, run by acid attack survivors under NGO Chhanv Foundation's Stop Acid Attack campaign.

Julie, who is from from Fatehpur, was barely two years old when her father threw acid on her in an attempt to take revenge on her mother after a dispute between the couple. The seven-year-old started participating in the Stop Acid Attack campaign last year and recently underwent the first of her surgeries at the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences here to detach the skin of her face from her neck.

"I felt a very personal emotion for Julie, for whom I have decided to raise money for education, the most important aspect of self-sustainment. I will go back to my school and try to motivate other primary schools back home to donate funds for the cause," said Burdzy, a 25-year-old human rights law student, after meeting the young girl in Lucknow on Thursday.

Burdzy, who shared her beauty pageant crown with the survivors, plans to raise funds for the cause through awareness lectures and activities in her university in Leicester, England.

The beauty queen, who has visited Sheroes Hangout Cafe in Agra, revealed the pageant team had also organised a fund-raising cooking competition. "Around 40 girls had participated in making an Indian curry, which was a difficult task. Donations collected have been handed over to the campaign for these survivors," she said.

Miss Universe Great Britain has been collaborating with the Stop Acid Attack campaign since last year. "We wanted to look beyond British charities. We came across this campaign and felt an affinity. We are financially supporting the cause and also using our platform to spread worldwide awareness," said pageant director Paula Abbandonato.

Last year's finalist Natalie had also visited Sheroes Cafe, after which she directed a documentary titled Not in Vain. The documentary was screened at Sheroes on Thursday evening and Burdzy also joined a dandiya performance with the survivors.