Each year, nearly 50,000 children in India are diagnosed with cancer or roughly one every 11 minutes. However, studies suggest that youngsters, particularly in high-income nations, have a high probability of being cured and surviving as high as 80-90 per cent.
However, a lack of public knowledge and comprehension of cancer, particularly in rural regions, causes treatment to be delayed, resulting in survival rates for children with cancer falling to as low as 15%. The lack of cancer treatment facilities for youngsters only adds to the problems.
Home Away From Home
St Jude India ChildCare Centres, which bills itself as a “home away from home” for children receiving cancer treatment, assists them in surviving and thriving in the face of the disease.
St Jude gives afflicted children free, safe, sanitary housing, basic education, and holistic nutrition as they travel with their parents from rural/semi-urban regions to large cities in search of the best cancer treatment.
St Jude’s mission is to provide comprehensive care to cancer-affected youngsters. It also gives refuge and counselling to their parents to facilitate their children’s rehabilitation and development.
The first circle of St Jude’s “three circles” operations is high-quality medical treatment delivered by the treating hospital. The proper physical environment for a kid getting therapy is the second consideration. The third is to offer children and their families emotional assistance.
The hospital is in the first circle. We collaborate with a reputable cancer treatment centre with a well-established paediatric cancer treatment centre. We come in at the second and third circles, and that’s where we provide value.
Children Suffering From Cancer
The NGO accepts any kid suffering from cancer, regardless of their financial situation. It collaborates with hospitals that serve children from low-income families who must travel to larger cities for treatment. These youngsters and their families spend between eight months and a year in these cities while undergoing extensive therapy.
The NGO’s new vertical, St Jude for Life, guarantees that children receive timely and suitable help to complete their schooling, maintain excellent health, and have successful lives.
St Jude for Life provides proper involvement, directly or via experienced partners, to endorse, tutor, and facilitate them to become upright making a contribution to members of society from the time of their enrolment until they are independent and self-sufficient after five years as of their diagnosis of cancer.
Currently, the NGO is assisting 467 families in nine cities and 37 locations. St Jude is funded via CSR funding, FCRAs, and HNIs and has a staff of about 150 members and over 100 volunteers.
As part of a hospital’s due diligence, officials assess the family’s financial situation, restrictions, and other factors before referring them to St Jude.
When their child is having treatment, they make sure they have a home to stay for as long as they need. They house children and their parents until they reach the age of fifteen.
Each centre can house 10-12 families with cooking and storage facilities, allowing them to live in peace. There are common amenities such as a dining hall, kitchen, and bathroom blocks in the communal space. In addition, St Jude maintains a high level of sanitation and safety at all times.
In addition, St Jude offers transportation for youngsters undergoing chemotherapy. It also has vehicles for nighttime emergencies.
Because a few children skip a year of school, the NGO has sent teachers to the centres to assist keep them up to date on the fundamentals of math, English, and science.
St Jude India ChildCare Centre
St Jude India ChildCare Centres has teamed with Chennai-based Star Health and Allied Insurance to provide health and disaster insurance to children who were helped by St Jude India ChildCare Centres throughout their cancer treatment and who have now been cancer-free for five years.
Anil claims that the NGO was either ordered to move or charged with police charges because individuals in the neighbourhood did not want to see these families in the region, citing occurrences near its Hyderabad and Mumbai centres.
He goes on to say that many parents, particularly in Jaipur and Delhi, do not seek cancer treatment for their daughters. Many parents prefer to stop treating their daughters once the diagnosis is known. The overall gender split in St Jude is 30:70, with females outnumbering boys.
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