Hope Has a Home in Tanzania: Strengthening Childhood Cancer Support Through Capacity Building
In Tanzania, access to childhood cancer care can be challenging, especially for families coming from rural areas. With only a limited number of paediatric oncology centres available, access to care can be challenging - especially for families coming from rural areas.
To respond to this need, CCI, together with ACT 4 Children, is supporting the establishment of a patient support organisation in Moshi, Tanzania. This includes the development of a home with comprehensive support services for children and their families, alongside a broader training and capacity-building effort to strengthen local expertise and care.
As part of this journey, representatives of the forming Tanzanian patient support organisation visited CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation in South Africa to shadow their work and learn from their experience in building and running a successful organisation.
Tanzanian Team at CHOC
The four-day exchange explored governance, fundraising strategies, and how to develop programmes and services. CHOC also shared experience on important but often less discussed topics, such as how to appoint board members, best practices for recruiting staff, and the importance of building and maintaining a healthy organisational culture.
An important milestone in this process is setting up a home for families undergoing treatment. Being far from home places an additional burden on families, and the lack of nearby accommodation can lead to treatment abandonment. Families often need to leave everything familiar behind and build a temporary life in an unfamiliar place during an already difficult time.
We are happy to share that preparations for the new home in Tanzania are progressing well. Renovations have been completed, and the house is currently undergoing extensive cleaning. At the same time, work is underway to prepare for how the home will be run day by day.
Peace, Nature, and Comfort - The New Home in Tanzania
During their visit, the Tanzanian team also had the chance to visit a home operated by CHOC, and learn about the practical side of running such a place - from roles like gardener or house supervisor, to policies, meal management, and daily routines that help create a supportive environment.
Beatrice Chimela, Programme Manager of the Tanzanian team, shared that the experience helped the team understand not only how to manage a home, but also what programmes are needed, what kind of staff and skills are required, and how to approach fundraising.
Faith Douglas, Child Life Specialist and Social Worker, highlighted the opportunity to visit different homes and take part in job shadowing. She said through the visit she gained insight into food preparation, hospital referrals, and how different areas and processes are organised. The experience -she said - broadened her perspective.
Dr. Esther Majaliwa, Paediatric Oncologist, reflected on the experience from a leadership perspective - particularly how strong organizational culture is built and passed on. She was inspired by the atmosphere of the homes, where children felt relaxed and at home, and also highlighted the importance of fundraising and the active role of board members - many of whom are parents themselves.
Learning from each other is the best way to share experience and practical solutions.
The next steps include finalising the establishment of the patient support organisation in Tanzania, fully furnishing the home, recruiting additional staff, and preparing to open the doors to families in need of support.
The visit was made possible with the support of CHOC and ACT 4 Children, and was a valuable learning experience for everyone involved.
At CCI, we believe in the importance of learning from each other. Peer-to-peer exchange allows organisations to share real experiences and practical solutions. Across countries, children and families face similar challenges, and patient support organisations can learn a lot from each other.
Together, we can save more children’s lives.
