During 2011 we saw a total of 363 patients, 222 were confirm to have cancer and were treated, a further 105 are still undergoing investigations, 19 were investigated and no cancer was detected, 15 were treated for blood disorders and the final 2 unfortunately passed away before the tests were completed.

Below is a graph of the number of children and types of cancers we saw during 2011.

We did the following procedures each month.

Of the 363 patients we have seen during 2011, 77% are new, however we have seen some children that initially came to Kidzcan during 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 as well as 15% from 2010. For 2% of the patients we unfortunately have no record of when their initial contact with Kidzcan was.

39% of our patients are resident in Harare province – this is not necessarily where their home is as some of them are staying with relatives in the area due to their commitments at the hospital but it is their contact address. 9% come from Manicaland, a further 34% from Mashonaland Provinces – Central, East and West. 6% come in from Masvingo province, 5% from Matabeleland, 5% from Midlands and 2% unknown.

During 2011, the statistics for the number of instances per category of expenditure are as follows:

35%                Chemotherapy Drugs

13%                Blood and Blood Products

15%                Scans

18%                Transport Assistance

8%                Prescription Drugs

8%               Laboratory Tests

3%               Other items (Food Supplements, shunts, hearing aids, heart diagnostic tests etc.)

This is obviously not the same as the cost of these various categories. Due to the generous gestures of our partners, we have saved $ 52 000 this year on scans alone, we also receive assistance from the suppliers with our blood and blood products and chemotherapy and prescription drugs and during this year we have also been given special rates on our heart tests. Interestingly enough the cost of these categories are made up of the following percentages:

32%                Chemotherapy Drugs

15%                Blood and Blood Products

37%                Scans

3%                  Transport assistance for the patients

1%                  Prescription Drugs

9%                  Laboratory Tests

3%                  Other items (Food Supplements, shunts, hearing aids, heart diagnostic tests etc.)

The Medzim team (a group of Southampton Medical Students) have raised £ 112 so far, covering 11 boxes – 30 November 2011, keep an eye on this space, we will up date it as we receive contributions. Make a difference to a child with cancer in Zimbabwe at Christmas this year.

The Friends of Kidzcan Fundraising Golf Day was held on Friday 29 July at Wingate Golf Club in Harare. 26 teams entered for the day, and a number of the teams chose to wear orange this year which was wonderful. There were three ‘Gin Tents’ scattered around the course. There was a raffle and an auction held at the prize giving in the evening. $ 9 913.00 was raised for the children and we would like to thank all involved for their support of and commitment to the Children.

Kidzcan has been very generously donated Plumpy Nut, a Nutriset product. It is a high-protein, high-energy, peanut-based paste in a foil wrapper and is categorized by the WHO as a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

Plumpy’nut is a paste containing peanuts, vegetable oil, powdered milk and sugar, vitamins and minerals, it is frequently used as a treatment for emergency malnutrition cases. It helps with rapid weight gain and is easy for children to eat since they can feed themselves the soft paste. The fortified peanut butter-like paste contains a balance of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, vitamins and minerals. Peanuts contain mono-unsaturated fats, which are easy to digest. They are also very high in calories, which means that a child will get a lot of energy from just small amounts, important because malnutrition shrinks the stomach. They are rich in zinc and protein — both good for the immune system and to aid long bone growth in reversing stunted height, while protein is also needed for muscle development. Peanuts are also a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps to convert food into energy. Plumpy’nut requires no water, preparation, or refrigeration which is wonderful for our children taking it home to a rural setting.

Since giving plumpy’nut to our children we have seen a noticable improvement. Often when they came into the hospital for their chemotherapy we would have to ‘build them up’ to it as they were not strong enough to receive the harsh treatment, however they are now able to receive their treatment immediately in most cases which helps with their response to the treatment and a more positive outcome.

We would like to thank those who donated this invaluable product and hope we can continue to use it for our children.