Photo: Dan Ayebare | The Guardian
In September, the Uganda Cancer Institute set up a free shelter for adult patients and their families at Uganda’s main cancer treatment center in Kampala, addressing the problem of early abandonment of treatment because people don't have money for hotels and travel. Of the 4,187 cancer patients admitted to UCI in 2017, less than a quarter completed treatment. The new shelter was inspired by the Bless A Child Foundation, a local charity which has runs cancer shelters for children since 2010. BCF now has four homes, two in Kampala, one in Mbarara, and one in Gulu, which have served more than 6,000 children. BCF facilities provide meals, an in-house teacher, psychosocial support, and transport to and from the hospitals on treatment days. Deaths have dropped from one a day to about two per week since the shelter opened.
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