The more the merrier: Stylists cut the hair of participants during the Shave for Hope charity event in Jakarta on Sunday.

In a show of solidarity, thousands of people recently shaved their heads to raise money for children living with cancer.

Housewife Indah Sari was moved to tears to witness so many people show their support for children with cancer.

She thanked God every day, she said, that despite economic difficulties, many were still willing to lend a hand.

Her son, six-year-old Yoga Handika, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011. In the past three years, Yoga has undergone more than 20 chemotherapy sessions.

'€œNow, [Yoga'€™s cancer] is at a high-risk level,'€ Indah said on Sunday during the Shave for Hope charity event in South Jakarta.

The event was jointly organized by Pita Kuning Anak Indonesia Foundation (YPKAI), a Jakarta-based community for children with cancer, and the Asian Medical Students'€™ Association Indonesia (AMSA).

At the event, as well as raising money for cancer patients, participants also shaved their heads in solidarity with those who suffer hair loss after undergoing chemotherapy.

'€œWe encourage people to shave their heads to let children with cancer know that they are not alone,'€ said the event'€™s initiator, TV host Steny Agustaf Rahman.   

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Donating Rp 100,000 (US$7), each participant had to shave his or her head; men had to have a full shave, while women with long hair had to have at least 10 centimeters cut off.

Steny said the event aimed to save the lives of children with cancer, as well as raise awareness and promote a culture of philanthropy.

Every year, there are 6.25 million new cancer cases worldwide, of which four percent or 250,000 are children, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In Indonesia, it is estimated that 4,100 children develop cancer each year. Around 30 percent live with leukemia. Of the 4,100 cases, 650 are in Jakarta, according to YPKAI.    

Steny said that in 2013, the charity event raised Rp 1.1 billion in donations to YPKAI.   

At Sunday'€™s event, meanwhile, people queued from the morning, apparently keen to lose their hair.

Businessman Chairul Rasyid, who came with his wife and daughter, said he took part in the event to support children and give them a moral boost as they undergo their medical treatment.

'€œThis is the second time I'€™ve participated. Two years ago, I also took part in this event,'€ said the 27-year-old.

AMSA member Indira Kalyana Makes, who chaired the event'€™s organizing committee, said she had teamed up with acclaimed hairdresser Johnny Andrean, who assigned 80 stylists to serve the more than 2,000 participants.    

In 2013, the number of participants had been around 3,000 in four cities, namely Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung in West Java and Surabaya in East Java, she said.

This year, Indira said her team focused on holding the event in the capital city only. '€œSince February, we have been garnering participants through social media, such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook,'€ she said.

Dozens of celebrities '€” ranging from presenter Indra Bekti, actor Tora Sudiro, presenters Dimas Danang and Ananda '€œOmesh'€ Rusdiana to model Asty Ananta '€” joined the event.

Through crowd funding site kitabisa.com, celebrities also raised funds from their fans for the event. '€œEach artist is expected to collect at least Rp 50 million in donations,'€ said Indira.

In order to enlist celebrities, Indira asked former MTV VJ Edi Brokoli, who took part in the event two years ago, for help. Edi in 2013 raised Rp 160 million after shaving off his gigantic Afro hairdo.  

Omesh said that he had not hesitated to agree to the event after being invited by Edi, adding that he sympathized with cancer patients'€™ struggle, because his father had passed away from lung cancer.

Meanwhile, Tora took part in the Shave for Hope event after being inspired by Edy'€™s '€œheroic'€ commitment.

Indra Bekti shed some tears on stage after reaching Rp 50 million in donations. '€œThanks God. I reached my target,'€ he said.

This year, the event collected some Rp 2 billion in donations, up 81 percent from the Rp 1.1billion in 2013, according to Indira. '€œAll the donations will be given to YPKAI,'€ she said.

YPKAI chairman Lanang Ariwibowo said he would use the donations to help finance the needs of 740 children with cancer under his foundation, up from 50 when it was founded in 2007.

The foundation, Lanang said, financed all expenses not covered by the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) at Dharmais Cancer Hospital in West Jakarta.

'€œWe help children from disadvantaged families only. We not only help buy milk, vitamins and diapers, but also pay the cost of their chemotherapy,'€ he said.

Lanang, whose aunt suffered colon cancer, said that he had the idea to help cancer-stricken children after listening to the story of a four-year-old toddler with cancer in a program titled Berkah Ramadan (The Ramadhan Miracle) broadcast by Hard Rock radio in 2006.

The child died two days after the broadcast. Lanang then developed a firm commitment to help children with cancer.

Psychologist Tika Bisono praised the Shave for Hope event'€™s ability to provide inspiration and moral courage to children suffering from cancer.

'€œThe huge level of support will keep a smile on the face of children with cancer. It will make them feel that they have new friends who understand and accept them.'€

'€” Photos by A. Kurniawan Ulung

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