Health & Healthcare

10 Years Commitment to Fighting Childhood Cancer for the Sanofi Espoir Foundation

Feb 29, 2016 11:05 AM ET
Campaign: Sanofi Espoir Foundation

Childhood Cancer is one of the main cause of death for the children, every year 175,000 children are confronted with cancer.  The five-year survival rate of children with cancer varies from 10 to 80% depending on the level of resources available in their country.  Yet, there are effective therapeutic solutions for the majority of these cancers, if the diagnosis is made early and if the child is correctly taken into care.

In light of this observation, the Sanofi Espoir Foundation initiated in 2006 the program My Child Matters with the support of key partners:  St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, International Society of Pediatric Oncology, Union for International Cancer Control, French-African Pediatric Oncology Group (GFAOP), and the parents association Childhood Cancer International.  

Its aim is to accompany the various countries so as to adapt itself to the local situation, by acting on:  an early diagnosis, a decentralization of healthcare to ensure medical support is accessible and affordable for the children, the improvement of the access to healthcare, including the fight against the pain and the palliative care, and teh public information campaigns to help with the identification and early detection of disease.  

"Let's train good people who are prepared to stay in their country; that is how we can kick-start the healthcare system (...)." Prof. Mhamed Harif, President of the GFAOP, partner of the My Child Matters program.

In 10 years, 45 projects were supported in 33 countries on 3 continents (Africa, Asia and Latin America).

The program My Child Matters allowed:

  • 16,000 healthcare professionals trained
  • 25,000 families helped
  • 50,000 children taken into care

"The local success of these projects has led a number of governments to recognize cancer as a child health priority.  Thanks to this type of decision, we cna improve the management of child cancers in a sustainable way." Dr. Anne Gagnepain-Lacheteau, Medical Director of the Sanofi Espoir Foundation.

Thus, the program My Child Matters represents one of the most important initiatives implemented to fight against the pediatric cancers in developing countries.