The health system in Sierra Leone faces severe challenges. This is particularly notable in the care of children with cancer, for whom there is no established service with currently only one doctor with any training in paediatric oncology within the government system.

A team from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has been working with the management and nursing and medical teams at Ola During Childrens Hospital (ODCH) in Freetown, Sierra Leones capital, aiming to establish a sustainable service for children with cancer. The project supports the treatment of potentially curable cancers and the establishment of good palliative care for those for whom cure is not possible.

For children with cancer, the five-year survival rate is now upwards of 80% in the UK. In Sierra Leone, it is approximately 10%. We really can do something to change this. The doctors and nurses at Ola During Childrens Hospital are enthusiastic and committed and the regular visits by the team from Wales are needed to further support the development of the service.

The doctor leading the local service has secured a fellowship to go overseas for further training this is an exciting and important opportunity but has resulted in an urgent need to back fill this post with a doctor who can oversee the service in the meantime. We need urgent funding to support the replacement post.

The focus of the Welsh team has been to provide regular teaching, clinical guidance and support the quality and safety of the service, working with the charity Welbodi Partnership, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Heath, the South Wales Sierra Leone Cancer Link with funding coordinated through Cardiff & Vale Health Charity.

Any fundraising through this campaign page will go directly to the 'Children's Cancer Care Sierra Leone' fund for Cardiff & Vale Health Charity. Setting your own fundraising pages linked to this campaign will ensure that any money you raise is automatically linked to this fund.