Search for homes for Slumdog children picks up

THE search for new homes for two impoverished child stars from the hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire" has intensified, as one child fell sick days after city authorities demolished the shanty where she lived, family members said. Nine-year-old Rubina Ali came down with a fever Friday and spent a few hours in a local hospital, they said. "I'm fine now, but I feel tired," Rubina said Saturday as she lay in bed, resting at her uncle's house. Rubina and her parents have been staying with relatives. Azhar and his family have tied tarpaulins and blankets around a thin wood frame for shelter in the Garib Nagar - "city of the poor" - slum where both families live. After the runaway success of their film, Slumdog director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson set up the Jai Ho trust to ensure the children receive proper homes, a decent education and a nest egg when they finish high school. They have also donated $747,500 to a charity to help slum children in Mumbai. GN

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