Voices

Korede Akindele: Committed to Scaling Pediatric Cancer Programs Across Nigeria

Korede Akindele/LinkedIn

Sep 2, 2025, 16:10

Korede Akindele: Committed to Scaling Pediatric Cancer Programs Across Nigeria

Korede Akindele, Chair of Young SIOP Network, shared a post by The Dorcas Cancer Foundation on LinkedIn:

“At the heart of our journey are the children and families we serve. Every child we support and every professional we empower reflects our unwavering commitment to giving hope where it is most needed.

As we look to the future, we are committed to scaling the TDCF pediatric cancer programs nationwide. We will train even more community health and health extension workers, expand our survivorship networks, deepen pediatric oncology education, and advance research and data systems to close the survival gap for Nigerian children with cancer.

Pediatric cancer in Nigeria has changed, and the future is bright indeed.”

Quoting The Dorcas Cancer Foundation’s post:

“The Dorcas Cancer Foundation at 10: A Decade of Hope and Impact

This month, we celebrate a milestone that fills us with gratitude and awe.

The Dorcas Cancer Foundation (TDCF) is 10 years old!

Since 2015, what began as a spark of hope has grown into a lifeline for children, adolescents, and young adults facing cancer in Nigeria. Over the past decade, we have worked to change the story of childhood cancer through awareness, treatment support, policy, research, advocacy, education, and survivorship initiatives.

In these ten years, we have funded treatment for over a hundred children and young people, trained over 3,000 community healthcare workers through our Early Detection and Initiation of Cancer Treatment (EDICT) Look Again program, and equipped more than 1,600 oncology professionals through our Pediatric Radiation Oncology (PedROC) program. We have distributed over 4,500 patient education resources in teaching hospitals, donated hundreds of care kits, chemotherapy consumable boxes and essential medicines; and reached over two million people through advocacy campaigns.

We are proud to have supported the creation of Nigeria’s first pediatric tumor board, pioneered the country’s first pediatric cancer registry, and launched Hands of Gold, Nigeria’s first childhood cancer support group. Our advocacy has contributed to Nigeria’s inclusion as a WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (WHO-GICC) country and to our membership in the St. Jude Global Alliance, making us the first Nigerian non-profit organization to join this global network.

At the heart of our journey are the children and families we serve. Every child we support and every professional we empower reflects our unwavering commitment to giving hope where it is most needed.

As we reflect on ten years of impact, we remain determined to ensure that every child, adolescent and young adult diagnosed with cancer in Nigeria has access to the best standard of care available globally.

Korede Akindele