Physical Health Zimbabwe Project #10856

Save the lives of children with cancer in Zimbabwe

by Kidzcan Children's Cancer Relief

Save the lives of children with cancer in Zimbabwe

Project Report | Feb 26, 2026
Demonstrating Impact, from Challenges to Change

By Daniel Mckenzie | Executive Director

Challenges to Change 1

A Message of Gratitude to Our GlobalGiving Donors

As we begin 2026, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our GlobalGiving community for your unwavering support. Your generosity continues to sustain children and families facing one of life’s most difficult battles, childhood cancer. Because of you, KidzCan is able to demonstrate real, measurable impact while confronting the challenges that demand change in Zimbabwe’s childhood cancer landscape.

Your support ensures that children receive life-saving chemotherapy, access to essential medicines, safe accommodation, nutrition, psychosocial support, and hope when they need it most. Every contribution strengthens our commitment to ensuring that no child fights cancer alone.

This quarter, under our theme “Demonstrating Impact, Challenges to Change,” we are proud to share Joanne’s story, a powerful example of how your generosity transforms lives.

From Diagnosis to Victory: Joanne’s Journey of Hope and Resilience

In the harsh Zimbabwean winter of 2023, four-year-old Joanne’s life was turned upside down after what seemed like an innocent fall at school. What began as flu-like symptoms quickly spiralled into a devastating medical crisis. Joanne required urgent hospital visits, blood transfusions, and faced the terrifying threat of heart failure. The most heartbreaking moment came when her once-active little legs could no longer carry her.

A bone marrow test confirmed the unthinkable, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).

Her family was crushed. Fear, uncertainty, and the weight of a life-threatening diagnosis overwhelmed them. With courage and determination, they sought treatment at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, beginning a gruelling two-year chemotherapy journey.

The road was incredibly difficult. Joanne endured:

Severe treatment side effects, including hair loss and fatigue
Painful procedures and repeated cannulations
Long hospital stays and frequent clinic visits
Missed school, missed play, and missed moments of childhood

Yet, even in their darkest moments, Joanne’s family found hope.

Through the support of KidzCan and thanks to generous GlobalGiving donors like you—Joanne received the essential medical support, medicines, nutritional care, and family assistance needed to continue treatment without interruption.

Your support made it possible for her to keep fighting.

Through resilience, faith, and community support, Joanne completed her chemotherapy. Today, she stands proudly in remission, a survivor.

Recently, she celebrated her 7th birthday, a joyful milestone that once felt impossible.

Her laughter, her strength, and her future are a testament to the power of your generosity.

What Your Support Makes Possible

Joanne’s story reflects the tangible impact of your contributions. Because of you:

Children receive uninterrupted access to life-saving treatment
Families receive accommodation and care during long treatment periods
Survival becomes possible where once there was only uncertainty
Hope replaces fear

Each child supported represents a life saved, a family restored, and a future protected.

The Work Continues

Despite these victories, significant challenges remain. Access to essential cancer medicines, economic pressures, and increasing numbers of diagnoses continue to place strain on families and healthcare systems.

Your continued partnership is critical as we work to:

Expand access to life-saving medicines
Support more families across Zimbabwe
Strengthen early diagnosis and treatment systems
Improve survival outcomes for children with cancer

Thank You for Being Part of Joanne’s Victory

Joanne’s survival is not just her victory—it is yours.

Because of your compassion and commitment, children like Joanne are not defined by their diagnosis, but by their courage, their resilience, and their future.

Together, we are transforming diagnosis into victory.

Thank you for standing with KidzCan, and for ensuring that no child faces cancer alone.

Demonstrating Impact in 2025: Your Support in Action

Because of your generosity, 2025 was a year of measurable impact for children and families facing childhood cancer in Zimbabwe. Your support enabled KidzCan to expand access to treatment, strengthen care systems, and ensure that children received continuous, life-saving support.

In 2025 alone, your contributions made it possible to:

Support 326 newly diagnosed children, ensuring they began treatment with medical, financial, and psychosocial assistance.
Provide transport assistance to 464 children, removing one of the biggest barriers to accessing life-saving care.
Deliver 4,529 life-saving prescriptions, ensuring uninterrupted access to essential chemotherapy and supportive medicines.
Coordinate 605 case management interventions, guiding families through complex treatment journeys with personalized support.
Facilitate 874 hospital and residence transfers, ensuring children safely reached treatment facilities and accommodation.
Conduct 394 scans and 145 laboratory tests, critical for diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment decisions.
Provide 287 food hampers, ensuring children had the nutrition needed to tolerate treatment and recover.
Offer psychosocial support through 848 group sessions, including caregiver support groups and children’s emotional support programs.
Maintain continuous family engagement through 2,240 support calls, ensuring no family faced the journey alone.

With deepest gratitude,
Daniel McKenzie
Executive Director, KidzCan

Challenges to Change 2

Challenges to Change 3

Challenges to Change 4

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Oct 29, 2025
A Busy and Impactful Quarter of Hope and Healing

By Daniel Mckenzie | Executive Director

The past quarter has been one of our busiest and most rewarding periods yet at KidzCan Zimbabwe. From community events to clinical support, our team has worked tirelessly to ensure that every child fighting cancer in Zimbabwe receives the care, dignity, and hope they deserve.

We began the quarter with the MudRun and the Victory Run — two exciting events that brought together hundreds of supporters in solidarity with children battling cancer. These events not only raised vital funds but also reminded us of the power of community in transforming lives.

In the health sector, we conducted nurses’ trainings to strengthen childhood cancer care capacity across provinces. September — Childhood Cancer Awareness Month — saw a vibrant series of media campaigns, outreach activities, and public awareness drives, amplifying the message that “Children get cancer too — and early detection saves lives.”

Throughout this time, we continued to provide lifesaving support to children suffering from cancer through a comprehensive package of services — including:

Bus fares and transport assistance for hospital visits
Admission packs to ease hospital stays
Diagnostic imaging and chemotherapy drug support
Nutritional supplementation for children in treatment
Housing and psychosocial support through the Rainbow Children’s Village

We are thrilled to share that construction of the Rainbow Children’s Village is now in its final phase, with nine additional patient rooms nearing completion. Once finished, this facility will provide a safe, comforting home for even more children and their caregivers during treatment in Harare.

Stories That Touch the Heart: Jayden’s Journey

Among the many children we serve, some stories leave a lasting mark on our hearts. One such story is that of Jayden, whose courage and resilience continue to inspire us all.

Sight: How Jayden Beat Bilateral Retinoblastoma

At just three months old, Jayden’s parents noticed a strange white glow in his eye. What they thought was harmless turned out to be retinoblastoma, a rare and aggressive eye cancer. His eye had to be removed, leaving his parents devastated.

For a year, Jayden lived with sight in one eye. Then, tragedy struck again — he began bumping into walls. Tests confirmed their worst fear: the cancer had spread to his remaining eye, a condition called bilateral retinoblastoma. Desperate to save his sight, his parents sent scans to specialists in India, but the verdict was heartbreaking — nothing could be done. The focus shifted from saving his sight to saving his life.

Through 13 cycles of chemotherapy, Jayden lost both eyes — but never his courage. His parents’ love and determination became his anchor, and KidzCan walked every step of that journey with them, providing the medical, emotional, and logistical support they needed — completely free of charge.

Today, Jayden is 8 years old, cancer-free, and thriving in Grade 2. He walks independently, plays joyfully with friends, and even rides a bicycle around his home. His mother shared tearfully,

“Because of KidzCan, my son is alive and full of life. They gave us hope when we had none.”

Looking Ahead

Jayden’s story is a reminder of why we do what we do — and why your continued support matters. Each contribution helps us ensure that children like Jayden not only survive cancer but go on to live, laugh, and dream again.

Give hope. Give life.
Together, we can make childhood cancer not a death sentence, but a story of courage and survival.

Thank you GlobalGiving Community

Rainbow Children's Village Final Phase 3

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Jul 1, 2025
Celebrating Survivorship: A Journey of Hope

By Daniel Mckenzie | Executive Director

Children engaging in the event

Celebrating Survivorship: A Journey of Hope

This June, KidzCan embarked on an unforgettable journey of hope, strength, and triumph, culminating in the celebration of Childhood Cancer Survivors Day, held in two cities—Bulawayo and Harare—separated by 440 kilometres and a week apart. These celebrations brought together young cancer survivors and their families, and powerfully showcased KidzCan’s unwavering commitment to supporting children along their cancer journey.

In Bulawayo, ten resilient survivors and their caregivers came together in an intimate gathering to share stories of hope and endurance. A week later, in Harare, thirty courageous survivors and their loved ones assembled, filling the day with laughter, tears, and inspiration. Each story echoed a journey of pain and perseverance—culminating in life and healing. These events weren’t just celebrations—they were affirmations of life. They stood as powerful reminders that survivorship is possible, and that a future after childhood cancer is real and worth fighting for.

Survivors’ Day was a celebration of the progress being made in advancing childhood cancer care in Zimbabwe. It showcased not just medical victories but the psychosocial and emotional resilience of young warriors and their families. It was a moment to honour those who fought and won, and to remember those we have lost.

At KidzCan, our survivors are the reason we do what we do. Their smiles, their stories, their strength fuel our mission. We are deeply grateful to you—our GlobalGiving community—whose support makes these moments possible. You help us tell a new story in Zimbabwe, one filled with hope, healing, and the promise of a better tomorrow.

Program Summary2025 Childhood Cancer Survivors Day – Harare (28 June)

The event brought together 30 survivors and their families, featuring a variety of creative and therapeutic activities including:

- Journaling, Art Therapy, Games & Storytelling led by our team and supported by a clown to bring joy throughout the day.
- Keynote messages from healthcare professionals on resilience, wellness, and coping strategies after treatment.
- Inspiring testimonies from survivors and founding members, offering hope and encouragement to others.
- Support group discussions for survivors and caregivers, allowing for shared experiences and peer learning.
- Performance art by PICA to celebrate life through music and dance.

-Marimba performance with Vaima Arts Festival where the children and caregivers play
- Food hampers distributed to families as a gesture of solidarity and care.

The day ended with reflection, reconnection, and a reaffirmation of KidzCan’s mission: to walk beside every child on their cancer journey—toward healing, toward survival, and toward a brighter future.

Thank you to All at GlobalGiving for continuing to help make a difference to chlidhood cancer in Zimbabwe.

Let's get to 60% survival rate by 2030 together!

Strength of community and support

Eye cancer survivors having a dance

Links:

Orange month launch

Attachments:

KidzCan 2024 Annual Report (PDF)

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