Monitor Publications Limited has donated mattresses, mosquito nets and blankets to Kiota Kona home for cancer patients in Kawempe as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme during the cancer awareness campaign.
The beddings will be used by patients that seek shelter at Kiota Kona while they are on treatment at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Most of the patients are at the home to seek shelter because they come from faraway districts and have no family in Kampala or nearby areas from where to commute for several trips for treatment at the Uganda Cancer Institute.

Creating awareness
MPL has been running an awareness campaign by sharing experiences of cancer survivors for the month of October in a bid to educate the public that cancer is not a death sentence and given timely treatment one can actually beat it, according to Mr Tony Glencross, the Managing Director Nation Media Group-Uganda.
“We started the cancer awareness campaign in 2015. My inspiration for the drive is because I lost a brother in 2013 to cancer of the brain. I feel much obliged to be part of the campaign in the awareness and aiding in the treatment of cancer,” Mr Glencross said.
Ms Sheila Munyanziza, the founder of Kiota Kona, appreciated the support accorded to the home and commended Monitor Publications Limited for the awareness drive.
She called on communities to offer a safe landing for cancer patients, saying some are rejected by their families.
“We are grateful for the support from Daily Monitor. The problem is usually that cancer patients are abandoned at the Cancer Institute because the families are tired of taking care of them so they have nowhere to sleep,” Ms Munyanziza said.
She added: “Most people in the community think that a cancer patient has to die. I am a living testimony. I beat cancer twice. It is, therefore, important that these patients get a soft landing as they go through the treatment process but also after they are completely cured.”

By BEATRICE NAKIBUUKA