Relief From Cancer is CanKids trusted partner in the USA and shares a deep relationship over many years.

CanKids has been recognized as a key leading non-profit organization working in India to address the needs of children with cancer (0-19 years) and their families. It is the only organization in India working at all levels - grassroots, district, state, and national levels and supporting the health authorities and hospitals for the last 18 years to improve the quality/standard of treatment, care, and other holistic support services.

 

• It drives the best access to holistic treatment, care, and support for children with cancer and their families reaching a childhood cancer treating center through its Cankids Hospital Support Unit (CHSU) partnership projects. As of Dec 2022, Cankids has 125 CHSU partnerships across 53 cities and 22 States/UTs. Currently only 34% of children with cancer each year are making it to a cancer center.

 

• Direct support for families is provided through its YANA – you are not alone – social support protocols and services, social support teams and care centers including Home away from Homes, Canshala schools, Subhita palliative centers, Passport2Life Survivorship clinics, and online CanNurture, CanNourish, and Canshala services. Cankids has supported over 65000 families to date, with annual support of over 15000 children each year, through direct support to families of USD 311572 pa, 250 manpower support to hospitals, 12 HAHs, 3 Canshalas, 1 Pediatric palliative care center.

 

• To enable early diagnosis and referral for timely treatment, thereby improving access to care it aims to partner with State Governments and other relevant stakeholders.  Currently, Cankids has MOUs with 7 state governments and knowledge and technical partner for childhood cancer, and 16 State projects to improve Access2Care to 50% by 2025 and 100% by 2030.

 

• Its Suddridh Health System Strengthening projects focus on improving survival outcomes to 60% by 2030 as mandated by the 2018 WHO Global Initiative on Childhood Cancer. It has 6 “One Cancer at a Time-OCAT disease-focused projects including Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Retinoblastoma, ALL, Bone & Soft Tissue Sarcoma, APML to drive survival outcomes, 12 Pediatric Oncology Capacity building partnerships and Capacity Building programs for HCPs – doctors and nurses and HCWs – social workers, patient navigators, psychologists, dietitians, teachers, and grassroots level ASHA and Anganwadi workers.

 

• To drive patient-centered care, it actively works on Patient Participation and Family Engagement, involving and empowering the child patient, parents, and survivors, to strengthen Patient Voice and secure the 5 rights of the health-impaired child and family, viz Health, Education, Childhood, Pain-Free and palliative care and Right to be Heard. Currently, its 2 large patient groups – P3SG for parents and KCK for survivors, have over 4500 members.

 

• It promotes, sponsors, supports and conducts patient-led research to drive improved outcomes for children with cancer and for evidence-based advocacy. To date, it has engaged in over 25 research studies.

 

• It works with national professional associations like InPHOG, APAR health, IAP PHO, and international bodies, including WHO, WHO SEAR, WHO India, St Jude Global, ALSAC, UICC,  SIOP, and Childhood Cancer International to advocate, research, and drive policy change at institutional, State, regional and international level.

 

Working Models

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Established in 2004, by Ms. Poonam Bagai, a colon cancer survivor, and Co-Founder Sonal Sharma ( parent of a childhood cancer survivor)  our core area of intervention in India is Health care - Childhood Cancer. The Vision is to enable global standards of survival of between 70-95% for childhood cancer in India, to provide access to holistic treatment, care, and support, and to secure the Rights of the Health Impaired Child with cancer to Health, Education, Childhood, Pain-free palliative care and the Right to be Heard. This vision drives our approach of working on all aspects that will drive Change for Childhood Cancer in India – from support services for families of children with cancer (age 0-19), to awareness, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, capacity building, quality care, research, and impact.

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CanKids’ Change for Childhood Cancer in India model aims to strengthen the public health delivery system to the level of Globally accepted standards for childhood cancer treatment services. The strategic model works on delivering “Access to Care”, “Improving Survival Outcomes” and “Ensuring patient-centered care” for children with cancer and their families to enable the best treatment, care, and support.

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 Your support:

 

• Provides medical support through our 125 CanKids Hospital Support Units across the country from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond, including providing cheerful environments at treatment centers.

 

• Enables them to give care through our Holistic approach to Cancer through Accommodation, Transport, Nutrition, Blood, and Psychological support

 

• Gives a child Education through their one-of-a-kind, CanShalas to keep children in the habit of learning through treatment and beyond.

 

• Ensures continuity of care and survivorship as appropriate through relapse, palliation, or bereavement and loss.

 

• Helps ensure better standards of treatment and care by partnering with cancer centers, through funding support, providing social support staff, enhancing capacities, and driving quality care, research, and impact assessment.

 

• Helps provide and facilitate economic support so that as few children as possible suffer from lack of money.

 

To Survive, a child with cancer needs medicines, treatment, and good nutrition.

To Thrive, a child needs education, psychological support, and more.

All this takes only: