Children’s cancer relief organisation KidzCan Zimbabwe has introduced a “home away from home” facility in Harare aimed at helping young cancer patients complete life-saving treatment amid concerns over treatment abandonment.
The initiative comes as Zimbabwe continues to centralise paediatric cancer care in Harare, home to the country’s main referral centre, forcing families from across the country to travel long distances for treatment.
KidzCan nurse Charity Kawadza said the organisation introduced the facility after noticing that many children were failing to return for continued care after initial chemotherapy cycles.
“We were losing a lot of children where they go on chemo break and do not come back due to several reasons, and one of the major reasons was lack of money for transport,” Kawadza said.
“With the home away from home, we can make sure the child completes treatment. We take responsibility to ensure they go to hospital, receive their treatment, and once they are done, we bring them back to the home.”
KidzCan Zimbabwe is a private voluntary organisation supporting children diagnosed with cancer across the country, working with referral hospitals including Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and Mpilo Central Hospital.
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Children suspected to have cancer are first seen at local clinics before being referred through the health system to provincial hospitals such as Mpilo Central Hospital and, where necessary, to Harare for specialised care.
“When you get to these hospitals, doctors know that KidzCan is nearby. They will call us and we assist with the services that we can,” Kawadza said.
She said the organisation provides chemotherapy free of charge, along with critical diagnostic services used to determine the type and stage of cancer.
“We assist with diagnostics, which include blood tests to check the condition of blood cells, as well as scans that help determine the position and extent of the cancer. These are important in guiding treatment,” she said.
Beyond medical support, KidzCan also offers counselling services, peer support through mothers’ groups and nutritional assistance to help families cope during treatment.
“In certain cases, we also assist with bus fare so that families can return home after treatment or during breaks,” Kawadza added.
The newly introduced facility is expected to ease the burden on caregivers, particularly those travelling from outside Harare, by providing accommodation and ensuring children do not miss scheduled treatment.
Kawadza said the intervention has already started making a difference.
“I think it has given a lot of relief to many mothers,” she said.
She also stressed the need to raise awareness about childhood cancer, noting that many people still do not realise children can develop the disease.
“The most common cancers we are seeing in Zimbabwe include cancer of the blood, which is leukaemia, followed by kidney cancer and eye cancer. We also see cancers of the bone, brain and lymph glands,” she said.
Kawadza urged parents and caregivers to seek medical attention when children show persistent or unusual symptoms.
“If a child has symptoms such as unexplained fever, lumps on the body, swelling, persistent pain or unusual bleeding that does not go away after treatment, it is important to go back to the clinic and request a referral,” she said.