Some Things About Kidzcan
Although KidzCan was formally registered as a Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) in 2009, the organisation directly evolved from volunteer work over 15 years prior to that. Some 15 years ago, a group of concerned volunteers initiated weekly visits to the children’s wards of Parirenyatwa Hospital to play with the children and distribute some donated toys, sweets or basic luxuries to the children in hospital. In 1998 Andrea Whatman took over the co-ordination of this small volunteer group, a position she held until April 2014.
In 2002, Dr. OrphardMupanamunda (the only paediatric oncologist in Zimbabwe by then) and Andrea received a fully funded fellowship to St Judes Children’s Hospital in Memphis, USA. On their return, Dr. Mupanamunda and Andrea committed to forming an organisation called Children’s Cancer Relief, known as KidzCan, which has worked as such since 2003.