Our Purpose & Promise
At KidzCan Zimbabwe, we believe that no child should die from a treatable cancer simply because they were born in the wrong country. As the only organization in Zimbabwe dedicated exclusively to pediatric oncology, we are more than a charity—we are a lifeline.
01 : Our Vision
To foster a compassionate world where every child in Zimbabwe battling cancer is given the chance to lead a healthy, fulfilling, and cancer-free life.
02 : Our Mission
KidzCan is dedicated to increasing the survival rate and ensuring the utmost quality of life for children with cancer by providing clinical care, advocacy, and psychosocial support in a loving and caring environment.
03 : Strategic Objectives
- Clinical Care & Survival: * Increase the national childhood cancer survival rate to 60% by 2030.
- Establish and maintain secure, diverse funding streams to ensure uninterrupted clinical support for all registered patients.
- Eliminate treatment abandonment by providing free accommodation, specialised nutrition, and transport through the Rainbow Children’s Village.
04 : Values
-
Love: We serve, protect, and comfort every child as if they were our own.
-
Empathy: We place the child’s safety first and walk alongside the family through their darkest hours.
-
Integrity: We are accountable to our donors and our patients; we put our words into practice and keep our promises.
-
Inclusivity: We believe in a Zimbabwe where every child, regardless of background or region, receives the same gold standard of care.
Our Background
Our founder, Andrea Whatman, shouldn’t be here. At age ten, she was given two months to live after a leukemia diagnosis. In a time without chemotherapy, she survived against all odds.
Years later, Andrea returned to the wards—this time with a bag of books and a heart for service. What began as a one-woman volunteer mission at Parirenyatwa Hospital evolved into KidzCan Zimbabwe (PVO 24/09), a national pillar of health that has supported over 6,000 children since 2009.
“I was kept here for a purpose: to ensure no child has to face the ‘fear of the unknown’ alone.” — Andrea Whatman
The Problem: Why We Are Needed
In Zimbabwe, the survival rate for childhood cancer is significantly lower than in the West. This isn’t because the cancer is different, but because of three barriers:
-
Late Detection: A lack of awareness leads to advanced-stage diagnosis.
-
Prohibitive Costs: Chemotherapy and specialized scans are financially impossible for most families.
-
Treatment Abandonment: Families from rural areas often stop treatment because they have nowhere to stay in the city.
hospital transfers/RCV transports
Critical Care Coordination
Support Group Participants
Psychosocial Support
growth in beneficiaries
Support Network Expansion
Our Objectives: The Roadmap to 60%
Our work is not random; but it is a calculated, multi-front attack on childhood cancer. We operate under a clear set of strategic objectives designed to bridge the gap between a diagnosis and a cure.o move Zimbabwe from a 20% survival rate to 60% by the year 2030. By focusing on these five pillars, we aren’t just hoping for change—we are building the infrastructure to make it inevitable.
Children Supported (+9.4% growth)
Prescriptions dispensed in 2025
Zero-Cost Treatment: To ensure that no child defaults on treatment due to cost by providing 100% free chemotherapy drugs, blood products, and diagnostic scans (CT/MRI).
The “Right to the Fight”: To provide logistical support through transport allowances, ensuring that distance from the capital is never a death sentence for a rural child.
Decentralized Care: To expand our reach beyond Harare, strengthening our Bulawayo office and provincial partnerships to bring care closer to home.
ABOUT OUR EVENTS
KidzCan Zimbabwe hosts vibrant community events to fund life-saving pediatric cancer care. Highlights include the high-energy Husqvarna Mudrun, which in 2025 saw 3,000 participants raise over $66,000, and “Orange Day” international matches with Zimbabwe Cricket. Prestigious Charity Golf Days and the annual Orange Month campaign turn the nation orange every February, uniting donors and volunteers to ensure every child’s survival through partnerships with icons like TM Pick n Pay and CABS.
September: The Gold Month & Victory Lap
September marks Global Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Our partnership with Zimswitch headlines the KidzCan Victory Lap (Survivors Run), a moving event where children who have beaten cancer lead the way. This event serves as a living testimony to the public: with early detection and the right support, childhood cancer is curable.
Help Us Reach 60% by 2030
Childhood cancer is curable if we catch it early and fight it together. Whether you join the Mudrun, wear orange in February, or donate today, you are giving a child their “Right to the Fight.”
OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
The KidzCan Volunteer Program is the soulful engine of our organization, bridging the gap between clinical treatment and emotional healing. Every volunteer undergoes thorough training in psychosocial support and ward etiquette to ensure they can provide meaningful comfort through bedside play, reading, and art therapy at Parirenyatwa Hospital. Our network attracts individuals with specialist skills in social work, counseling, and logistics, all of whom are vital for the seamless execution of our national calendar. The Husqvarna Mudrun, for example, thrives on the logistical mastery of Grant Mitchell and his team, who coordinate the event’s grit and spirit alongside our dedicated volunteers. Whether they are staffing “Orange Day” cricket stands or cheering at the Zimswitch Survivors Run, our volunteers embody the “outcome over income” philosophy that defines the KidzCan mission.