ASLAN PROJECT INC
1140 THIRD STREET NE SUITE 200, WASHINGTON, DC 20002 aslanproject.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE MISSION OF THE ASLAN PROJECT, INC. IS TO PROMOTE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO PEDIATRIC CANCER TREATMENT BY SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE AND LOCALLY SUPPORTED HEALTH SYSTEMS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES (LMICS) THAT RECOGNIZE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS OF CARE.

MOST CHILDHOOD CANCERS ARE CURABLE AT A LOW COST. IN HIGH-RESOURCE COUNTRIES, MORE THAN 80% OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER SURVIVE. ELSEWHERE, THE REVERSE IS TRUE: THE VAST MAJORITY OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER DIE, OFTEN IN GREAT PAIN.THE ASLAN PROJECT IS COMMITTED TO ADDRESSING THIS DISPARITY.THE ASLAN PROJECT IS A WASHINGTON, DC-BASED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES EQUITABLE ACCESS TO PEDIATRIC CANCER TREATMENT BY BUILDING SUSTAINABLE AND LOCALLY SUPPORTED HEALTH SYSTEMS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES (LMICS). TO ADDRESS INEQUALITIES OF CARE, WE COLLABORATE WITH NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, MAJOR HOSPITALS, AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS WITHIN LMICS TO TRAIN LOCAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO RECOGNIZE PEDIATRIC AND ADOLESCENT CANCERS EARLY, DIAGNOSE THEM ACCURATELY, AND TREAT THEM EFFECTIVELY AND COMPASSIONATELY. FOUNDED IN 2012, OUR MODEL IS BOTH HOLISTIC AND REPLICABLE, EMPHASIZING A STRONG STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT WHILE ALLOWING FOR FLEXIBILITY IN OUR PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS. ITS COMPONENTS INCLUDE:- CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING: OUR WORLD-RENOWNED VOLUNTEER MEDICAL TEAM TEACHES LOCAL DOCTORS, NURSES, PHARMACISTS, AND OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AT THEIR LOCAL HOSPITALS AND ABROAD TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT PEDIATRIC CANCERS AND TO TRAIN FUTURE SPECIALISTS. - COMPREHENSIVE FAMILY SUPPORT SYSTEMS: THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS), WE ENSURE THAT CHILDREN IN TREATMENT AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE PROVIDED WITH HOUSING, COUNSELING, AND OTHER VITAL PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORTS NECESSARY TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF TREATMENT ABANDONMENT.- OTHER ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURES: WE WORK WITH LOCAL HOSPITALS TO ENSURE THERE ARE SEPARATE UNITS DEDICATED TO THE TREATMENT OF PEDIATRIC CANCER, TO FACILITATE LOW-COST PROCUREMENT OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND MEDICATIONS, AND TO INTRODUCE DATA COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT PROCESSES. OUR IMPACTSINCE 2011, WE HAVE SPEARHEADED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE PEDIATRIC AND ADOLESCENT CANCER HEALTH SYSTEM IN ETHIOPIA, A COUNTRY THAT FACES A PROJECTED 6,000 TO 8,000 NEW CASES OF CHILDHOOD CANCER ANNUALLY. WE PILOTED OUR FIRST PROJECT AT TIKUR ANBESSA SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL (TASH) IN ADDIS ABABA IN 2013, WITH SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS, INCLUDING:- THE FIRST DEDICATED PEDIATRIC CANCER UNIT IN ETHIOPIA'S HISTORY;- ETHIOPIA'S INAUGURAL PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY-ONCOLOGY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM THAT GRADUATED THE COUNTRY'S FIRST LOCALLY TRAINED PEDIATRIC CANCER DOCTORS;- SPECIALIZED PEDIATRIC CANCER CARE INSTRUCTION IN NURSING, PATHOLOGY, AND PHARMACY; AND- PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL NGOS TO PROVIDE FREE HOUSING, COUNSELING, TRANSPORTATION, NUTRITION, EDUCATION, AND OTHER SUPPORTS TO PATIENTS AND FAMILIES, WHICH HAS REDUCED THE RATE OF TREATMENT ABANDONMENT BY MORE THAN 70%.IN 2015, WE SUCCESSFULLY EXPORTED THIS MODEL TO JIMMA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER (JUMC) IN SOUTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA, WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH (FMOH) AND GLOBAL ACTORS SUCH AS THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION AND THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY. AS JUMC HAD NO PRIOR ONCOLOGY CAPABILITY, OUR INITIAL EFFORTS FOCUSED ON BUILDING CAPACITY IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY NURSING, PATHOLOGY, AND PHARMACY. IN MAY 2016, WE LAUNCHED A FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM IN PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY-ONCOLOGY AND CO-HOSTED THE COUNTRY'S FIRST WORKSHOP ON CHILDHOOD CANCER. THE 22-BED JUMC PEDIATRIC CANCER UNIT OPENED IN AUGUST 2016 AND, WITH CAPACITY LEVELS EXCEEDING 90%, HAS SINCE TREATED MORE THAN 300 CHILDREN.IN 2019, WE SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE FMOH TO LAUNCH A NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM IN PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY-ONCOLOGY AT TASH AS WELL AS INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE STANDARDS OF PEDIATRIC CANCER CARE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. IN RECOGNITION OF OUR EXPERTISE AND IMPACT, OUR MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO THE TASK FORCE CHARGED WITH ESTABLISHING THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR BUILDING PEDIATRIC CANCER PROGRAMS AT ETHIOPIA'S NATIONAL HOSPITALS.IN ADDITION TO OUR TRANSFORMATIVE WORK IN ETHIOPIA, OUR MEDICAL FACULTY IS ASSISTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PEDIATRIC CANCER PROGRAM AT GERTRUDE'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IN NAIROBI, KENYA AND PROVIDES EXPERT MENTORING AND INSTRUCTION TO PAKISTAN'S PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY WORKFORCE. THROUGH OUR PROGRAMS, WE SEEK TO DEMONSTRATE THAT PEDIATRIC CANCERS CAN BE TREATED AND CURED IN LOW-RESOURCE SETTINGS JUST AS THEY ARE IN MORE PROSPEROUS COUNTRIES.

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