The Aslan Project Inc

TO PROMOTE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO PEDIATIC CANCER CARE IN LOW -RESOURCE SETTINGS.

THE ASLAN PROJECT IS A WASHINGTON, DC-BASED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES EQUITABLE ACCESS TO PEDIATRIC CANCER CARE AND TREATMENT IN LOW-RESOURCE SETTINGS. WE COLLABORATE WITH NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, MAJOR HOSPITALS, ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, AND LOCAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ("NGOS") TO TRAIN LOCAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO RECOGNIZE, DIAGNOSE, AND TREAT PEDIATRIC CANCERS AND TO PROVIDE FAMILY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SERVICES THAT ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF TREATMENT ABANDONMENT.CONTINUES ON SCHEDULE OSINCE 2012, WE HAVE SPEARHEADED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE PEDIATRIC CANCER HEALTH SYSTEM IN ETHIOPIA. AT THE TIME, THE COUNTRY HAD NO DEDICATED UNIT TO TREAT CHILDREN WITH CANCER, NO PHYSICIANS FORMALLY TRAINING IN PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY-ONCOLOGY ("PHO"), NO PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY NURSES OR ONCOLOGY PHARMACISTS, AND NEGLIGIBLE SURVIVAL RATES.TO ADDRESS THIS CRITICAL NEED, WE PILOTED OUR FIRST PROGRAM AT TIKUR ANBESSA SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL (TASH) IN ADDIS ABABA. OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, THE PROGRAM ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES, INCLUDING THE FIRST DEDICATED PEDIATRIC CANCER UNIT IN ETHIOPIA'S HISTORY; ETHIOPIA'S FIRST PHO FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM; EXPERT TRAINING IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY NURSING AND ONCOLOGY PHARMACY; AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH A LOCAL NGO, TAPCCO, TO PROVIDE FREE HOUSING, COUNSELING, TRANSPORTATION, AND OTHER SUPPORTS SO THAT PEDIATRIC CANCER PATIENTS ARE ENABLED TO COMPLETE THEIR REGIMENS AND THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES CAN THRIVE DURING THEIR TREATMENT JOURNEYS.IN 2015, WE EXPORTED THIS MODEL SUCCESSFULLY TO JIMMA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER (JUMC) INSOUTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA, SPONSORING AN INAUGURAL WORKSHOP IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH (FMOH), THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO), AND THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF PAEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY (SIOP).IN 2019, WE SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE FMOH TO LAUNCH NATIONAL TRAININGS IN PHO AND PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY NURSING AND TO INTRODUCE INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE STANDARDS OF CARE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. IN THE FOLLOWING TWO YEARS, WE INSTITUTED A NEW PHO FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM AT TASH, OFFERED OUR ETHIOPIAN PARTNERS SIGNIFICANT EXPOSURES TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND NETWORKS, AND INTRODUCED INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATORS TO AMPLIFY OUR FACULTY'S AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND BANDWIDTH. WE ALSO ADDED THREE NEW PEDIATRIC CANCER PROGRAMS TO OUR NATIONAL NETWORK: AT GONDAR UNIVERSITY SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL (GUSH) IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA AND ST. PAUL MILLENNIUM MEDICAL COLLEGE HOSPITAL (SPMMCH) IN ADDIS ABABA, AND AYDER COMPREHENSIVE SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL (ACSH) IN MEKELLE.