Child cancer colour run to raise funds to keep patients on treatment

While cancer has become a leading cause of death among children, between 40% and 60% of children suffering from the disease abandon treatment.

According to the Uganda Cancer Institute, treatment abandonment is one of the major challenges affecting children undergoing cancer care.

Ezra Anecho from the Uganda Cancer Institute said they have registered a treatment abandonment rate of more than 40%, though at times the figure rises to 60%.

Abandoning treatment is not due to a lack of medication in hospitals, but rather social challenges, including a lack of funds at the family level to support patients.

“You often find that these families fail to come to the hospital, due to simple things like transport. That is why this year's efforts will temporarily shift away from building a hostel to finding ways of facilitating patients to ensure that children on cancer treatment remain on treatment, among other needs,” Anecho said.

Moses Echodu, a child cancer survivor and the executive director of the Uganda Child Cancer Foundation, said barriers to childhood cancer treatment remain significant.

“We have issues to do with transport, we have issues to do with supportive medicines, we have issues to do with nutrition, and these are what we want to address in this cancer run,” he said.

Moses Echodu, a child cancer survivor and the executive director of the Uganda Child Cancer Foundation, said barriers to childhood cancer treatment remain significant. (Credit: Prossy Nandudu)

The Child Cancer Colour Run will take place on May 17 under the theme “Behind Every Step is a Child's Story”, with runners purchasing kits ranging from sh25,000 to sh50,000.

Selling points include Carrefour supermarkets and Endiro Coffee outlets, while RokeTelkom will mobilise participants through digital platforms, alongside other supporters and sponsors of the run.

Explaining the significance of the theme, Dr Yvonne Rose Bwikizo, a paediatric oncologist at the Uganda Cancer Institute, said it calls for restoring hope among children with cancer, raising awareness, and bringing comfort to both patients and their caregivers.

“We may not meet the patients, but the impact is actually great. So Behind Every Child is a Story, and this story could be a delayed diagnosis, could be delayed intervention, could be I have no transport, could be I have no food to eat,” she said.

Bwikizo further explained that the Childhood Cancer Colour Run provides a platform to highlight these stories, raise awareness, fight stigma, and mobilise support for early diagnosis and treatment to improve outcomes.

“To everyone participating, every step you take matters, and every shilling matters. As you run, like some of us who run, as you walk or cheer, remember that you're carrying a child's story with you, and let that story inspire you, move you, and challenge you to do even more,” Bwikizo added.

The Uganda Child Cancer Foundation was founded in 2006 to support children suffering from cancer, particularly those receiving treatment at the Uganda Cancer Institute.