UNITING FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER SUPPORT

Giving Digest: On the sunny Sunday of March 24th, 2024, Rotaractors from Uganda’s Rotary Districts 9213 and 9214 gathered at the City High School playground in Kololo. They were there not just for camaraderie but for a cause: the inaugural Rotaract Corporate League. The event, which had the air of a grand sports meet, was actually a genial soccer game among Rotaractors, grouped by their professions. The real win here was the goal to garner funds for Ugandan children fighting cancer, under the banner "Supporting Children with Cancer."

In Uganda, childhood cancer is an escalating crisis, with the number of cases ominously outpacing even HIV infections. Each year, around 7,000 Ugandan children are diagnosed with cancer. The hurdles in addressing childhood cancer are numerous, including late diagnosis, expensive treatments, scarce specialized care, and overwhelming costs that families must shoulder.

The Rotaract Corporate League was born from a shared resolve among Rotaractors to meet these daunting challenges head-on and aid the young patients. In the words of Rotaractor Simon Okwi, the fundraiser's chairperson and a member of the Rotaract Club of Bweyogerere Namboole from District 9213, there's a deep-seated intention to forge a lasting partnership with the Uganda Child Cancer Foundation in Mulago, as he shared in an interview with UBC TV.

The league is set to be a monthly event, with an ambitious target to raise fifty million Ugandan Shillings to defray costs such as medical bills, transport, food, toiletries, and other necessities for the children affected by cancer.

Their first gathering was a triumph of spirit and generosity, accumulating a remarkable six million, nine hundred nineteen thousand Ugandan Shillings. The resolve and action taken by the Rotaractors in aiding young cancer patients is praiseworthy, truly embodying the Rotaract ethos of service above self.

© Image: Rotaract Corporate League