CanKids

CanKids KidsCan, formally known as CanKids KidsCan – The National Society for Change for Childhood Cancer in India, is a national non-profit organization working to improve childhood cancer care in India. Founded in 2004, the organization supports children with cancer and their families through medical, emotional, social, educational, and practical assistance. Its work focuses especially on children from underprivileged families who face barriers in reaching timely diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care.

CanKids works across the full spectrum of childhood cancer care. Through its signature programme, YANA – You Are Not Alone, the organization supports families from the time of detection and diagnosis through treatment, recovery, survivorship, and palliative care when needed. The programme includes medical support, drugs and diagnostics assistance, accommodation, transport, blood support, nutrition, ration support, education, counselling, and family engagement.

CanKids KidsCan was founded in 2004 by Poonam Bagai, a cancer survivor, with the aim of ensuring that children with cancer in India do not lose their chance of survival because of late detection, lack of awareness, inadequate treatment, or financial hardship. The organisation’s leadership and mission have been shaped by lived experience, patient advocacy, and the belief that every child with cancer deserves access to quality care.

The organisation has grown from a patient-support initiative into a national childhood cancer care network. It partners with hospitals, medical professionals, state governments, cancer centres, civil society groups, donors, and families to strengthen access to treatment and supportive care.

The vision of CanKids KidsCan is to enable global standards of survival for childhood cancer in India, ensure quality of life and holistic care for children with cancer and their families, and secure the rights of health-impaired children. These rights include the right to health, education, childhood, pain and palliative care, and the right to be heard.

Its mission is to deliver access to holistic care for children and families affected by childhood cancer. The organisation works with patients, parents, survivors, hospitals, governments, and national and international partners to create sustainable models of childhood cancer care suited to India and other resource-constrained settings.

CanKids KidsCan provides direct and indirect support to children with cancer and their families. Its medical projects and support services include financial assistance for diagnosis and treatment, support for drugs and diagnostics, surgeries, radiation, chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, prosthesis, palliative care, and after-cancer treatment services. The organisation also helps families access government welfare schemes and relief funds.

Its Treatment Support Program focuses on practical needs that affect survival and quality of life. These include nutrition management, hygiene and infection control, blood support, accommodation for outstation families, and transport assistance. CanKids also runs Home Away from Home facilities, CanShala education support, palliative care services, and survivorship initiatives.

Education is another important part of the organisation’s work. Through its education and reintegration initiatives, CanKids helps children continue learning during and after cancer treatment. This support includes schooling assistance, scholarships, and learning programmes designed for children whose education is disrupted by illness.

CanKids KidsCan has built a wide national presence in childhood cancer care. According to its official website, the organisation works across 60 cities and 22 states in India and is present in 141 hospitals. It also has memorandums of understanding with eight state governments as knowledge and technical partners for childhood cancer and runs 16 state projects across India.

The organisation partners with childhood cancer treating centres through CanKids Hospital Support Unit projects. These partnerships help families navigate treatment, receive social support, and access services closer to their place of care. Its hospital network includes major public and private institutions across different regions of India.

Beyond direct family support, CanKids KidsCan works as an advocacy and systems-strengthening organisation. It engages with governments, hospitals, medical professionals, and communities to make childhood cancer a child health priority in India. Its work includes awareness campaigns, capacity building, research, public education, policy engagement, and efforts to improve treatment standards.

CanKids also supports research and knowledge translation through its Pediatric Cancer Research Institute. The organisation states that it aims to ensure that research benefits children with cancer and has set up a patient-led ethics committee to safeguard the dignity, rights, safety, and well-being of research participants.