Mulago Hospital children cancer ward gets foodstuff boost
During the visit, members of the club officially handed over the items and interacted with patients and caregivers.
Ivan Kakooza (3rd right), the president of the Rotary club of Kampala metropolitan hands over some of the items to Dr. Derrick Bary Abila, the assistant executive director of Uganda child cancer Foundation, one of the CSOs that supplement the feeding at the children’s cancer ward as Matovu (right) looks on on Saturday. (Courtesy photo)
________________
The Rotary Club of Kampala Metropolitan has donated food and essential items to the children’s cancer ward at the Mulago National Referral Hospital as part of its annual visit to mark Children’s Cancer Awareness Month.
The September 27, 2025, donation at the hospital included milk, sugar, eggs and other sanitary items.
Every September, the Club joins the hospital in celebrating and raising awareness of childhood cancer, offering both material and emotional support to young patients and their families.
This year’s contribution included numerous items, all aimed at supplementing the nutrition and basic needs of children undergoing treatment.
During the visit, members of the club officially handed over the items and interacted with patients and caregivers.
Nutritional well-being of cancer-affected children is considered key to the healing process of children affected by cancer.
For instance, Louise Henry, an Advanced Practice Dietitian at the Royal Marsden in the United Kingdom, reasoned that eating well during cancer treatment is important as a well-nourished child can cope better with their treatment and fight infection.
“It will help to repair healthy body tissues that have been damaged by treatment. A child also needs to grow and develop in line with their age group, and food gives the body energy and nutrients to do this.”
The donation was welcomed by the hospital administration and civil society organisations, noting its importance in supporting the nutritional well-being of young cancer patients, while parents expressed gratitude for the assistance.
Matovu Wasswa, the founder of Faces of Courage, a civil society organisation that works to supplement the hospital's efforts of feeding the children, described the intervention as important.
He said most of the children come from financially unprivileged families and that they struggle to provide decent meals to their children yet the hospital does not provide sufficient meals.