In a city where millions move with purpose, there are some journeys no child should have to take especially not alone. ‘Renu vs The City’, a deeply moving campaign by St. Jude India ChildCare Centres in partnership with Ogilvy Mumbai, brings to life the emotional and physical toll faced by young cancer patients and their families who come to urban centers seeking treatment, only to find themselves sleeping on pavements, battling not just illness, but the brutal indifference of the streets.
The film follows Renu, a young girl bravely navigating a city that offers treatment but no shelter. It’s not just a story it’s a mirror to the lived reality of countless families who arrive in metropolitan hospitals with hope, but without a roof. While cancer care may be free or subsidized, the lack of safe, hygienic accommodation remains a silent crisis for India’s most vulnerable patients. And it is here that St. Jude steps in not as a charity, but as a lifeline.
With 45 centres across 11 cities, St. Jude India ChildCare Centres offers free, clean, and secure places to stay, ensuring that no child undergoing cancer treatment is left to suffer the additional trauma of homelessness. It’s a quiet revolution in compassionate care, transforming fear into dignity, and despair into healing.
As Fritz Gonsalves and Jayesh Raut of Ogilvy Mumbai expressed, the campaign is more than a creative project it’s a purpose-driven call to action, designed to drive awareness, empathy, and support. With powerful storytelling by Hungry Films and a unified effort by creative minds like Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar, Sukesh Nayak, Abigail Dias, and others, the film becomes a beacon for change reaching hearts and reminding us all that survival should not come at the cost of safety.
Anil Nair, CEO of St. Jude India, underscores the urgency: “Access to treatment is improving, but unless we also provide families with a safe place to stay, we’re only solving half the problem.”
This campaign is a poignant reminder that healing isn’t just about medicine it’s also about dignity, shelter, and the unwavering belief that no child should fight cancer alone, or in the shadows of a city sidewalk.
Watch. Feel. Share. Because awareness can build a roof where there was none.
