Blandina Khondowe forms Hope for Cancer NGO
Cancer survivor Blandina Khondowe has officially formed and registered Hope for Cancer Foundation (HOCAF), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) whose primary purpose is to take a preventative approach to cancer through nutrition, exercises, aggressive screening and detection in order to catch the disease in its earliest stages which is easier to treat.
Khondowe said in an interview yesterday that HOCAF was incorporated as a Trustee under the Trustees Incorporation Act on 11th October 2015 and registered as an NGO on 2nd October 2017.
“We are also registered with the Ministry of Health under Non Communicable Disease (NCD) Unit as a partner. Our bigger dream is to establish a Cancer Wellness Centre where we are going to offer these services,” said Khondowe, whois the Chief Executive Officer for HOCAF.
She said HOCAF delayed to start its activities after being registered in 2015 because of various challenges which included lack of financial resources.
“We would like to reach out many people especially in the rural areas through mobile clinic services, we know we will make a difference if we spread messages on how this disease can be prevented but our main challenge has been financial resources,” explained Khondowe.
She expressed hope that well wishers and donors will support the activities of HOCAF since it is duly registered and has a board of trustees in place.
“We are happy to announce that HOCAF has a full board of trustees comprising of upstanding members of society with divergent skills to help us in resource mobilization. In fact the board held its first formal meeting in Lilongwe recently,” said Khondowe.
She said the board is chaired by business consultant and motivator Henry Kachanje and other members include Levie Nkunika, Sunbird Hotel’s Group Sales and Marketing Manager, Lusizi Kambalame, a Senior Lecturer at the Polytechnic, Mc Donald Chapalapata, a Media Consultant, Dr Kondwani Chalulu Head of Surgeryat Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Sibusiso Nyasulu, Head of Customer Service at Airtel Malawi, Chisomo Macholowe-Khonje, a Corporate Communications expert and Rachel Sibande, a Consultant at Mhub.
“We have held two step-up to the challenge for cancer events in Lilongwe and also successfully held another one at Blantyre Sports Club on Labour Day holiday. This is one way of raising awareness and also resources for the running of the organization.”
“But we are appealing to all people of good will and also organizations to help us with resources to fulfill our dream because Malawi is registering a lot of cancercases which are mostly presented late as such it is killing so many people,” said Khondowe, herself a two-time survivor of breast cancer
This was a true beauty to win Miss Malawi osati nanthambwe amusankha dzana uja!
Eek eeh! Nkhani apa ndi ya cancer, nthenda imene siyan’Ghana nkhope.. shame on you. I hope ku ntundu wa Keanu noise munakayezesa ma cancer
It’s a good concept…however the organisation can have a greater impact if you incorporate a Cancer Biologist into the board, these are the people who knows the A-Z of cancer development… a surgeon isn’t a cancer expert, is an expert in surgery while cancer Biologist have all the expertise to understand the molecular & cellular mechanisms of cancer development in a body including the basis of a type of treatment one needs
Good point, totally agree with you. However it also depends on whether the cancer biologist you are talking about are willing to be in the board.
WE WILL SUPPORT THE CAUSE. SEND THE CONCEPT NOTE TO ME ASAP.
We thank God that you survived cancer. Chikhulupiliro Stanley Ng’ombe started Cancer Survivors Quest some years ago. His objectives and yours are the same. This is duplication of work in a small country like ours. Why not just join him and synergise to do something bigger. Dissolve yours and help someone who has already made some strides in the same work.
I totally agree with the suggestion to have one powerful voice with equally strong regional chapters
Rather say, Join hands with so and so and not join this dude just because he started first, are you saying all Malawi First ladies (it’s fashionable for them to have ”’The chakutichakuti Foundation”’) should simply have joined Chitukuko Cha Amayi M’malawi (CCAM) just because it started first??
Very irrelevant example, Mr Donald Kilintoni, because we only have one first lady at a time and because of politics their programs go with them. Give me another very good example. This is the reason why Malawi is replicated because we fail to support certain notable trends and resort to one’s own endeavours. In the world of politics, it is the same thing. We are a very small country koma zipani mbweee. Ndipange changa. ndipange changa. Zochita zake za nziii. Come together and energise each other and move forward.