About Us

To bring joy and happiness to paediatric cancer patient and their families while providing recreational services and financial support. Our mission is to bring little smile in the face of a child fighting with cancer during the period of their treatment and provide financial support for families.

Welcome to Astitwa Foundation!!

Childhood cancers form a rare and heterogeneous group which fortunately have a higher cure rate than adult cancers. Cancer in children is one of the emerging non-communicable diseases in Nepal with significant morbidity and mortality. Significant efforts are being made at the government and nongovernment level to provide awareness, early diagnosis, and effective treatment to improve the cure rate of children with cancer. The major challenges include: lack of education, late diagnosis, advanced disease at presentation, financial problems, geographical and transportation difficulties, and inconsistent supply of chemotherapy medicines.

According to WHO, each year, approximately 400,000 children and adolescents of 0-19 years old are diagnosed with cancer The most common types of childhood cancers include leukemias, brain cancers, lymphomas and solid tumours, such as neuroblastoma and Wilms tumours. In high-income countries, where comprehensive services are generally accessible, more than 80% of children with cancer are cured whereas in low- and middle-income countries it is estimated only 15-45% are cured.

A report published from Nepal Health Research Council 2018 shows that of the estimated 56.9 million deaths globally, over 40.5 million deaths (71%) were due to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in 2016. This is disproportionately high in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) with over three quarters of NCD deaths (31.5 million) occurring in LMICs .The four major NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes) are among the top 10 leading causes of death globally as well as for Nepal. More than 20 million new cases of cancer are estimated to occur worldwide in 2025, and a majority of them would be in LMICs . Cancer ranks number as the second globally and fifth leading cause of death for Nepal, accounting for an estimated 11,525 deaths in 2015 . This shows that cancer remains a major public health issue in Nepal.

Having a sick or hospitalized child often results in feelings of frustration, sadness, worry, or helplessness. Hospitalization exacerbates childrens' emotions, and increases feelings of depression and anxiety. Being sick and hospitalized is not an easy or a regular occurrence, and may even be terrifying, traumatic, to the child. Children are particularly prone to the adverse effects of being ill, and their hospitalisation is a stressful event with potential untoward consequences for children and their families. To deal with child psychology and most importantly during hospitalization is a challenge and we Astitwa Foundation are here to bring joy and happiness to paediatric cancer patient and their families while providing recreational services and financial support.