Sawera Health Foundation Tackles Childhood Cancer Care Gap
When Abhishek and Divya Avasthi’s son was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in December 2018, their lives changed drastically. This personal battle revealed significant gaps in support systems for families dealing with childhood cancer, even in developed healthcare environments. Avasthi recalls the chaos and fear they experienced, saying, “We were grateful to be in one of the strongest healthcare systems in the world, but once we left the hospital, we were on our own.”
The Avasthis developed a color-coded spreadsheet to manage their son’s treatment, tracking medications, blood values, hospital visits, and daily needs. Their organizational efforts paid off, as their son survived. However, conversations with other families revealed that many were struggling with similar challenges, leading to the creation of the Sawera Health Foundation. Named after the Hindi word for “a new day,” the foundation aims to address one of the most pressing global health challenges: ensuring that children with cancer receive and complete their treatment.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer annually. Survival rates have improved in high-income countries due to medical advancements, but in lower- and middle-income regions, outcomes remain dishearteningly low. A major factor in this disparity is treatment abandonment, often caused by financial constraints, distance, and lack of support.
Avasthi emphasizes the urgency of the situation, stating, “In Switzerland, even with resources, we felt lost. If it was this hard for us, imagine how difficult it must be for families in developing countries, where hospitals are overcrowded, distances are long, and information is not accessible.”
Building Digital Solutions for Families
To address these challenges, Sawera has developed digital health tools designed to empower families, clinicians, and researchers. At the core of their initiative is the Sawera App, a digital companion tailored for families navigating leukemia treatments. The app features personalized calendars to track therapy plans, medication management tools, and the ability to record blood values for everyday decision-making.
The app not only alleviates the administrative burden on overwhelmed parents but also improves communication with healthcare providers. It offers researchers valuable insights into treatment dynamics at home. Avasthi notes, “When a child is sick, the whole family is sick. The app is about helping families hold it together, ensuring no child is left behind in their treatment journey.”
Recognizing that this issue requires a collaborative approach, Sawera has partnered with Aroh Foundation, a grassroots organization working in public hospitals in India to bridge care gaps for families with limited resources. Together, they are addressing treatment abandonment by combining digital health solutions with on-the-ground support. Sawera is also part of a global network uniting nonprofits, hospitals, and researchers to enhance capacity and resources in childhood cancer care.
Future Goals and Expansion Plans
Currently, the Sawera App focuses on leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, which accounts for about a third of pediatric cancer diagnoses. The foundation is working to expand its services to include other pediatric cancers. Avasthi outlines their vision: “We aim to empower families to manage treatments, report issues early, and reduce abandonment. We also want to provide researchers with real-life insights into side effects, adherence, and long-term care.”
By shifting care from hospitals to homes and improving compliance, Sawera aims to relieve pressures on healthcare systems without compromising patient outcomes. Future plans include expanding the app’s reach into regions where survival rates are currently the lowest. Achieving these goals will require sustained funding and strategic partnerships.
Avasthi succinctly captures the foundation’s mission: “We started with our own story, but this is a global crisis. Every child deserves a chance at survival, no matter where they are born. That’s why we’re asking for support, from funders, partners, and communities, to ensure that Sawera can continue to bring a new day for families everywhere.”
