It has been three years since our home of compassion for cancer patients launched. Thanks to the very optimist and committed stakeholders of the association and the generous "Partners in the Horn of Africa", the home was inaugurated on April 30, 2014.

 

The need for the home

The staggering disparity between the number of cancer patients and the treatment facilities in Ethiopia is the reason behind the establishment of the compassionate home. The country has only one comprehensive cancer treatment center so that an overwhelming number of cancer patients have been left to an intense problem for a long while. Particularly patients coming from different rural and semi rural parts of Ethiopia are the ones who bear the highest burden. Those who don't get the chance to be admitted at the hospital have been forced to sleep at the pavements of the hospital, at the bus stations and other unsafe places during their treatment period. Unfortunately that made many of them vulnerable to other communicable and infectious diseases and to much worse be easily tempted to quit their treatment.

Having seen the magnitude of the problem, the management of YE Ethiopia Cancer Association came up with a project proposal of ''Home of Compassion for Cancer Patients'' and finally made it feasible on April 30, 2014.

Who are the beneficiaries?

The target beneficiaries of the compassionate home are poor cancer patients who have no place to stay in the city of Addis Ababa during their treatment period.

The following conditions needs to be fulfilled in selection of beneficiaries

  • Women cancer patients only
  • Patients who have started treatment at Tikur Anbesa Hospital
  • Patients with no means of accommodation in the city of Addis Ababali

What's in the home?

Our compassionate home is filled with a countrywide diversity and a joyful intimacy among the patients and the staff, where they hangout together, dine together and enjoy coffee ceremonies while sharing their stories. The home has the capacity to serve 15 patients at a time, where all of them are provided with the following basic necessities:

  • Accommodation
  • Three meals a day
  • A palliative care
  • A psychological care
  • Hygiene facilities
  • Transportation service to and from Tikur Anbessa Hospital.
  • A lesson on prevention and early detection of Cancer

Patients dining at the compassionate home

Achievements So Far

The home has served more than 400 poor women cancer patients since its inception. All those beneficiaries could not endure the unbearable challenges of lack of food and accommodation if it wasn't for the compassionate home. The association is very proud for being able to ease the problem of such a considerable number of cancer patients so far.

Patients having a coffee ceremony

Challenges encountered

The compassionate home is running without a project partner since October 2016.Though a very intensive resource mobilization has been in place ever since the withdrawal of our project partner, sustainability is not ensured yet.

Patients back from treatment

The Future

In spite of everything the management and staff of YE Ethiopia Cancer Association are always optimist and also committed to enhance the capacity of the compassionate home so that both the number of beneficiaries and their conditions would be improved.