A heartening new initiative sees Core, the leading distributor of Apple, DJI, and Nintendo in South Africa and CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation SA joining forces to bring technology to medical care in service of those most vulnerable of our society: children.

The iSchoolAfrica iPad Learning Programme which was launched this week at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, will also rollout to four hospital schools in Gauteng - Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, and Steve Biko Academic Hospital.

The programme will enable children undergoing cancer treatment to continue their education during their treatment. While cancer is a nasty disease at any age, it is particularly disrupting to children and the young, who are still in the development stage of their lives and trying to meet the need to stay on track with their education while battling a potentially life-threatening condition.

Enhancing education

To this end, the initiative supports paediatric oncology patients by ensuring their education continues despite the challenges posed by cancer treatment and prolonged hospital stays. The programme brings iPads loaded with engaging content directly to children and teenagers undergoing cancer treatment.

The goals include reducing anxiety, minimising learning loss, and assisting with various therapies. Comprehensive training is provided to hospital schoolteachers and CHOC volunteers to integrate the technology effectively into the children’s and teenagers’ routines and educational plans.

The iPads being used are equipped with built-in accessibility features and a wide selection of age-appropriate curriculum and entertainment apps. “We are thrilled to partner with CHOC to support the needs and rights of young learners,” said Dian De La Port, CEO of Core.

Michelle Lissoos

Tech where it is needed

Michelle Lissoos, the executive director for iSchool Africa Education Trust explained that iSchool Africa was established 15 years ago with a single minded mission of bringing the world's best technology and education practices to the most under resourced and marginalized communities.

''While Apple technology was being used in more privileged schools across the country, we were seeing low quality compromise solutions being dumped on our rural township schools and special needs schools. It was with this in mind, in 2009 that we launched the iSchool Africa program, and through our iPad learning program, we have reached over 300 schools and impacted 1000 learners,'' she elaborated.

Lissoos continued that the concept of our school Africa is to bring a mobile iPad Learning Lab where they are most needed, with iPads that are pre loaded with apps linked to the curriculum.

''These iPads are also intended to act as a distraction and entertainment device most needed by learners on their cancer journey. We have familiarized ourselves with the physical, emotional and psychological journey of children with cancer, and we have tailored the iPad program to not only augment educational goals and minimize learning gaps, but also to create a distracting, creative, fun and safe space for the cancer patients and their families,'' she added.

Every iPad can be tailored to each child's personal journey, not only their grade, but where they are in their treatment, and applications are loaded onto the iPad according to how they are feeling that day.

Some examples include African storybook with 1000s of stories in all the different African languages, the award winning Numeracy iPad app that teaches key numeracy concepts through a game, and the Dexteria app, allows for learners to develop their fine motor skills through play activities, even though they're in a hospital bed.

Prof Gita Naidu

Catching cancer fast

Professor Gita Naidu, the head of paediatric oncology at Baragwanath Hospital explained to me that sadly, fast growing and more aggressive cancers are typically seen in younger patients, while the slower growing variants are seen more commonly in adults.

This means that there is a smaller window to catch the disease earlier in children – as the earlier it is caught, the better from a treatment point of view. As well, leukaemia’s, which are cancers of the bone marrow and blood, are the most common cancers in children.

Hedley Lewis, the CEO of CHOC – which is a non-profit organisation caring for teenagers and children diagnosed with cancer or life-threatening blood disorders – stressed that ‘’it is important to empower the public with information to promptly report any instances where they suspect a patient may be exhibiting symptoms indicative of childhood cancer.’’

These include an unusual lump or swelling; unexplained paleness and loss of energy; easy bruising or bleeding; an ongoing pain in one area of the body; limping; unexplained fever or illness that doesn't go away; sudden weight loss; frequent pain in the back, bones, joints or legs; frequent headaches, often with vomiting and sudden eye or vision changes and illness or low energy.

Hedley Lewis

Rising to the challenge

A common treatment for cancer entails chemotherapy, which comes with its own range of side effects, including hair loss. The iPads in use for the learning program will also hold content to help patients understand what to expect as they undergo treatment.

Children and teenagers with cancer and their families are confronted with a myriad of obstacles that extend far beyond the complexities of treatment. Economic hardships, lack of community support, and sometimes the distances away from hospitals exacerbate these challenges. As well, the emotional, physical, social and educational burdens imposed by the disease mane the treatment journey incredibly daunting for the patient as well as their families.

‘’It is essential to unite to amplify early detection, treatment, and support for affected families in alignment with the World Health Organization’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC). The GICC aims to elevate the global overall survival rate to 60% by 2030 and to ensure that children and adolescents can lead a life free from pain and suffering, even in the face of such a challenging illness,” added Naidu.

She also revealed that one of the things deeply needed in the fight against cancer was the funding of a bone marrow transplant unit at Baragwanath Hospital, and urged any potential donors who would be willing to assist to reach out to her or the hospital.