BLFA is a small non-profit with a goal of increasing the survival rate of children with cancer in underserved countries. There are astounding global inequities in all aspects of curing these children. In the coming months we will be rebranding to better reflect our expanding vision. We want your feedback to help us reach more children in 2022. Read on and contact one of our program leaders with your thoughts. We look forward to talking to you!
In developed countries about 80% of the kids survive and 20% don’t. In under-resourced countries approximately 20% survive and 80% die. We are tackling core issues on which few organizations focus. Small interventions that make a big impact range from simply a bus ticket or a place to stay when they come to the hospital, to providing training to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis. Kids literally die because they are missing just one piece of this huge puzzle.
With a strong focus on childhood cancer for the past 10 years, our mission is to help more children reach a cure by increasing the likelihood that they will enter and complete treatment. Our vision is to expand into other countries on the African continent and eventually other underserved areas of the world. If you have a funding, partnership or program idea for us in 2022, we would love to hear from you. We know it takes a village to reach a village - and a cure. Email one of our program leaders with your thoughts or ideas.
Thank you for helping us expand our vision and help more children with cancer.
Karen Michelson kmichelson@blfundafrica.org or Raj Umanthil rumanthil@blfundafrica.org
Co-Chairs, Treatment Abandonment-Reduction Program (TAP)
Dr. Steven Kussick skussick@blfundafrica.org, Chair, Pathology Improvement Program (PIP)
BLFA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Seattle, Washington, supporting innovative programs to reduce the disparities in childhood cancer care in underserved areas. Our mission is to cure children with cancer by ensuring patients and families receive the medical, social, and economic support needed to help them successfully access and complete curative treatment. We do this by supporting in-country programs with NGOs, medical centers, and governmental organizations.
Our founder visited a children’s cancer ward in Kenya in 2009 and was deeply moved to see very sick children in the hospital with no other available treatment beyond pain control. These children had a cancer called Burkitt’s Lymphoma (BL), one of the most aggressive yet treatable childhood cancers with very high survival rates in Western Countries. She made it her life’s work to provide access to the same treatment as children in more developed countries. Today, we support programs in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania. As we grow, we plan to move into other countries in Africa - and beyond - to further reduce inequities and increase the survival rate of more children with cancer.