KNH Hope Hostel

Approximately 40,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in Kenya, and an estimated 28,500 Kenyans die of cancer every year. Kenya has several private hospitals offering comprehensive cancer treatment for those who can afford to pay, but this is far out of reach for the vast majority of Kenyans. Their only option is the one public hospital in the country with a comprehensive cancer treatment center – Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. Cancer patients travel hundreds of miles to get there, and exhaust their resources doing so. Once there, patients and caregivers find a severe lack of safe and affordable lodging. Many patients in active cancer treatment sleep in the hospital's corridors or outside. The well-being of these patients – and their hope for survival –is compromised because they are exposed to the elements, without a place to bathe or prepare a proper meal. 

The Society commissioned a study in 2016 to identify barriers to care for cancer patients at Kenyatta National Hospital and learned that a lack of accommodation was a key factor in not accessing or continuing treatment. This study, among other important factors, led to the plans for the Hope Hostel, which will dramatically impact the lives of thousands of cancer patients each year. The Hope Hostel will be built, owned, and operated by Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition to raising funds for the project, together with our partners at Kenyatta National Hospital, the Society will provide expertise in operational standards and financial sustainability.

The Kenyatta National Hospital Hope Hostel will:

• Serve more than 1,000 cancer patients annually
• Provide free temporary housing and integrated hospital services, such as palliative care and stoma management
• House an on-site resource center to connect patients
  and caregivers with cancer information and resources
• Offer a place where patients can rest during the day
  

Since the 1970s, the American Cancer Society has built and managed more than 30 Hope Lodge facilities across the United States and Puerto Rico to provide free accommodations for cancer patients and their caregivers during treatment. More than a place to stay, the Hope Lodge facility is a home away from home, offering a comfortable and supportive environment for encouragement and healing. 

With support from the American Cancer Society and the goodwill of Kenyans, Kenyatta National Hospital will build, own, and operate the hostel for the hospital's cancer patients most in need. 

A tract of land at the Kenyatta National Hospital campus has been earmarked by the hospital as the future site of the KHN Hope Hostel. 

An investment in the Kenya Hope Hostel will increase the number of Kenyans who can access treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital. A campaign of $2 million USD will guarantee construction and two years of operating costs for the Hope Hostel facility. In the United States, a project of this magnitude could cost more than $20 million. 

For more information about this project and how to give hope a home in Kenya, contact Emily Carey at Emily.Carey@cancer.org.