India has only a few specialized cancer centers, leading among which is the Government-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences, in New Delhi. Every year it registers hundreds of new cases of children with cancer. More than 60% families come from outside the city to receive cancer treatment from all over India and neighboring countries. They need to stay near the hospital for the long treatment. Most families are economically disadvantaged. For most the cost of treatment limits their access to accommodation and in worst cases they stay on footpaths. CANKIDS...KIDSCAN, a unit of Indian Cancer Society, Delhi, dedicated to enabling children and their families faced with cancer, is setting up a low cost Home Away from Home (HAH), near this major cancer centre as a pilot project.

• Provide outstation families with affordable, child appropriate accommodation during treatment.
• Create a low-cost option near the hospital, without substantial investment and low running and maintenance costs.
• Empower parents to set up, manage and run the home and provide them employment generation opportunities.
• Integrate project into the planned Cankids National Childhood Cancer Centre.
• Gain knowledge and experience of the 'home away from home' concept and to build on it in future.

The location has been donated by Shri.Vishnu Surekha of Surekha Charitable Trust rent-free for an initial period of 5 years. The initial set up costs and running and maintenance of the Home for the first year has been covered by a generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous. Well-known architects, R.K Associates have done a fantastic job of designing the interiors and given freely of their creativity, expertise and time. The teenage wing of Cankids, KidsCan Konnect, is responsible for interior decoration, painting the Home. They have raised their own funds for this and together with Cankids volunteers and friends have made a colorful and artistic Home for the kids. Cankids Management and parents of kids with cancer have worked tirelessly for the last 5 months to bring the project to fruition.
Cankids Parent Support Group (Parents of children with cancer) has taken on the responsibility of running HAH. What services are to be provided, setting the charges for all services, wavers, employment generating options (like running the canteen, providing transport to and fro, from the hospital, cleaning etc), as well as selecting a HAH supervisor from among themselves, has been determined by a HAH Committee, comprising PSG members. Together with the HAH Committee and the HAH Supervisor the families residing at the facility will participate in its day-to-day functioning and overall management.
Cankids donors, volunteers and local community have contributed generously in kind and cash for kitting out the HAH with appliances, linen, furniture and fixtures. They, as well as KCK will also be encouraged to volunteer at the HAH once it is up and running.
Cankids thanks all those involved in the HAH Project for their significant time, support and patience in establishing a bridge between hospital and home.