Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
A non-governmental organisation, Okapi Children Cancer Foundation has disclosed that since its establishment in 2017, it has supported over 60 pediatric cancer cases and has intervened in a over 200 cases.
Taking its crusade to Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada in Zone 4 of the FCT in commemoration of the International Childhood Cancer Day, and in partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) the founder, Ms. Kemi Adekanye, said from observation, Leukemia is the commonest of pediatric cancer.
Lamenting the federal government’s lack of intervention in the treatment of childhood cancer cases, Adekanye said to lessen the burden of parents whose children have been diagnosed of the disease, the attention of the federal government needs to be drawn to the malaise.
“We started in 2017 and so far, we have supported about 60 children, but when talking about intervention, we have supported roughly over 200. The bills vary from about two million and above and we work with the National Hospital and the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital.
“The foundation is all about the funding and creating sensitisation about cancer in children. Cancer care is really expensive and so try to raise funds from friends, family and other organisations to support children living with cancer.
“We do the sensitisation every year and we have decided to take the campaigns to schools because we have discovered that most children do not even know about childhood cancer, and they are the ones being affected by the disease.
‘Lack of government intervention is one of the challenge we are faced with. We really need to draw the government’s attention to childhood cancer as there’s no form of support whatsoever. So, the children only have to rely on their parents or on organisation’s like ours.”
In her speech, the Senior Mistress in charge of Administration, Mrs. Umeh Amarachi, said teachers and students that attended the health talk have learnt a lot, adding that the campaign on childhood cancer needs to be taken to the grassroots as well.
“Teachers in attendance and the students have learnt a lot. The campaign should be taken to the grassroots as they have to hear the messages as well. Many fall sick without knowing what the problem is,” she added.
