IMPACT REPORT 2025
ABOUT GERTRUDE’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation, established by the Trustees of Gertrude’s Garden (Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital) in 2010, is a charitable trust dedicated to providing treatment, care, and support to vulnerable and underserved children across the country. Through free services at the main hospital, outreach clinics, and medical camps, we ensure that children in need receive quality healthcare. The Foundation serves a diverse community, assisting over 12,000 children annually with a wide range of conditions, from routine care to complex and critical medical treatments.
BACKGROUND
The Global Cancer Observatory estimates that about 3,000 new cases of paediatric cancer in Kenya are diagnosed each year. It is also estimated that only 20% of children with cancer survive in Kenya. However, this is an underestimation due to inadequate reporting of cases to the national cancer registries. Similarly, many children are often misdiagnosed and die while on treatment for many of the infectious diseases that present with similar clinical symptoms and signs as childhood cancers. The International Agency on Research in Cancer (IARC) also reports that while about 80% of the cancer cases in the world are in developing countries, there is less than 20% chance of survival. The reverse is true in developed countries, where 20% of the cancer cases are found and have more than 80% survival rates. Kenya faces numerous challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of children’s diseases, especially paediatric cancers. The Kenya Health Sector Strategic Plan emphasizes the importance of improving paediatric cancer care as a critical component of enhancing child health outcomes. The strategy outlines a multi-faceted approach that includes early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment of childhood cancers. Key elements of the strategy are capacity building (training) of healthcare workers on early cancer detection, increasing public awareness about childhood cancer, and strengthening healthcare infrastructure to support effective cancer care delivery.
The strategic plan highlights several critical insights:
1. Early Detection and Diagnosis: It emphasises that early detection significantly improves survival rates. Delayed diagnosis is a major challenge due to low awareness and limited access to specialised diagnostic services.
2. Healthcare Capacity: There is a need for increased training and capacity building among healthcare providers at all levels to recognise and manage childhood cancers effectively.
3. Comprehensive Care: A holistic approach to cancer treatment, which includes medical, psychosocial, and nutritional support, is crucial for improving outcomes for children with cancer.
4. Access to Treatment: It stresses the importance of making cancer treatment accessible and affordable for all children, regardless of their socio-economic status.
In alignment with the Kenya Health Sector Strategic Plan, Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation and Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital launched a national program in 2019 to diagnose and treat children with cancer and to support the development of a national referral system for newly diagnosed patients.
THE KENYA CHILDHOOD CANCER PROGRAM
Since its inception in 2019, this program leverages on the capacity and infrastructure of Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital to diagnose and treat childhood cancers as well as Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation’s capacity to raise funds for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The Foundation mainly raises funds for the program through events that include the Gertrude's Annual Charity Golf Tournament and Gertrude's Annual Family Cancer Walk .
Over 277 children have benefited from the program so far, with over KES 63.44 million raised through the annual walk and golf events. In addition, over 200 frontline healthcare workers have been trained on the early warning signs of childhood cancer.
Through these efforts, Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation aims to create a sustainable and impactful paediatric cancer program that provides timely, comprehensive, and high-quality care to children across Kenya. Your continued support and collaboration are vital to achieving this mission and giving children the best chance for a healthy future.
FINANCIAL YEAR 2024/2025 ACHIEVEMENTS
The Gertrude’s Annual Charity Golf Tournament held in November 2024 raised Kshs. 5,869,504, while the Gertrude's Annual Family Cancer Walk 2025 held in March raised Kshs. 10,206,260, the cumulative total raised was Kshs. 16,075,764. From these donations, 50 children have since been supported.
Fundraising Event Breakdown
Gertrude’s Annual Charity Golf Tournament
A golf event that raised KES 5,869,504
Gertrude’s Annual Family Cancer Walk
A walk event that raised KES 10,206,260
The Hospital Foundation continues to seek private and public sector partners support, as well as long term collaboration and funding from strategic local and global institutions and individual donors to grow the program’s impact nationally and in the region. Your support has enabled us to save many lives by giving these children a chance to live to their full potential.
BENEFICIARY TESTIMONY
A Father’s Hope: Fancy’s Journey to Healing
In Baringo County, where access to healthcare remains limited due to challenging terrain, 13-year-old Fancy Leketiket once led an active life, assisting her mother with daily tasks, playing with friends, and enjoying school. However, her life took an unexpected turn when her health suddenly deteriorated.
“It started with a small swelling on her leg,” recalls her father, Dickson Matu Leketiket. “At first, we thought it was just a bruise. But it kept growing, and the pain became unbearable.” For months, Dickson watched helplessly as Fancy struggled to walk. The nearest hospital was far, and treatment costs seemed impossible to meet. He feared the worst, knowing that many children in the community never received the care they needed. But hope arrived unexpectedly.
At Marigat Catholic Mission Hospital, Clinical Officer Peris Kipcheum noticed Fancy during a routine visit. Something about her condition didn’t seem right. “I could see the pain in her eyes,” Peris recalls. “I knew this wasn’t just a minor injury. It needed urgent attention.” Rather than sending Fancy’s family on a long, costly journey to Nakuru or Nairobi, Peris did something different. She connected Fancy to Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital through Daktari Smart, a telemedicine programme implemented by Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation in partnership with Marigat Catholic Mission and supported by the MPESA Foundation.
Through a remote consultation with a Paediatric Haemato-Oncologist at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, clinical findings raised concern for a possible cancer diagnosis. Fancy was sent for an MRI, and the results confirmed every parent’s worst fear: bone cancer. The word echoed in Dickson’s mind, heavy with fear. “We were afraid,” he admits. “Where would we get money for treatment? Would my daughter survive?”
But for Fancy, hope had already arrived. With the support of Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation, her treatment journey began. The Foundation covered her medical costs, facilitation for transport was arranged, and she received specialist paediatric oncology care at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital. “She started chemotherapy,” Dickson says. “At first, it was tough. She was weak; she lost her appetite. But I kept telling her, ‘You are strong, my daughter. You will walk again.” Weeks turned into months. Fancy’s pain lessened. The swelling reduced. Then, one day, she took her first steps again. Peris Kipcheum, the woman who first identified her condition, couldn’t hide her joy. “When I saw her walking again, I knew we had done something life-changing. She was a child given a second chance.” Now, Fancy dreams of returning to school, her father’s heart filled with gratitude. “To the doctors, to Peris, to Gertrude’s, to everyone who made this possible, I say thank you. You saved my daughter’s life.”
According to Peris Kipcheum, Fancy’s recovery is just one of many success stories. As a Clinical Officer at Marigat Catholic Mission Hospital, she has seen the struggles rural families face firsthand, including long distances, delayed diagnoses, and limited specialists. Before telemedicine, Peris and her team could only do so much. “We used to see 5 to 17 paediatric cases a month. Now, with Daktari Smart, we handle 150 to 200.” Fancy’s story is proof of how much things have changed. Through support from Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation, they can diagnose and treat children with bone cancer, leukaemia, paediatric diabetes, and neurological disorders. “In our communities, many people still believe serious illness is a curse,” Peris explains. “But we are showing them, it’s a medical condition, and it can be treated.”
Despite the success, challenges remain. “We had to go into villages, speak on local radio, and show them this programme works.” And the impact? More children are getting life-saving care. For Peris, this is more than just a programme; it is a lifeline. “I attended training at Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital. It sharpened my skills and gave me confidence in handling complex paediatric cases.” But she dreams of even more support. “If we could provide transport for more families, even more children would get treatment.”
To Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, Peris has one message: “You have changed lives. I have seen children walk again, smile again, live again. Thank you for giving them hope.” And to ensure parents, she says: “If your child is unwell, don’t wait. Seek help. We are here for you. “Fancy’s journey, Peris’ dedication, and the cancer program’s impact show that this is more than just medicine; it is hope reaching places where it was once out of reach. Every child deserves a chance. Every parent deserves hope.
CONCLUSION
Through these efforts, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital and the Gertrude’s Hospital Foundation aim to create a sustainable and impactful paediatric cancer program that provides timely, comprehensive, and high quality care to children across Kenya.
Your continued support and collaboration are vital to achieving this mission and giving children the best chance for a healthy future.
APPRECIATION TO SPONSORS
The following corporate organisations have been instrumental in supporting the program through sponsorship of the Gertrude's Annual Charity Golf Tournament, Gertrude's Annual Family Cancer Walk, and other events whose proceeds fully support the cancer program. We hope to strengthen our partnerships with more organisations to increase participation in our events, raise more funds, and expand our impact.
APPRECIATION TO SPONSORS
CHEM-LABS LIMITED
BANK
