Who We Are
The Little Fighters Cancer Trust (LFCT) is a South African Non-Profit Organisation that offers various types of support to Children with Cancer and their Families throughout South Africa.
We are the VOICE of Childhood Cancer Awareness and the HANDS of Childhood Cancer Support!
What We Do
LFCT is committed to providing support in an holistic manner, treating each Child with Cancer and his/her Family as individuals, as we understand and respect the uniqueness of each situation. It is also our mission to preserve the dignity and pride of each individual.
We undertake to promote and advocate National Childhood Cancer Awareness in an effort to increase the amount of diagnosed Childhood Cancer cases in South Africa. Childhood Cancer Awareness will translate into an increase in earlier diagnosis, which will result in a higher survival rate for Children with Cancer in South Africa.
How We Aim to Do It
We will make our assistance available to any Child with Cancer and their Family and will strive to do everything within our power to help.
We will offer assistance to Children with Cancer via the Family unit as well as to Children with Cancer and their Parents in Paediatric Oncology Hospital Wards and to Places of Safety that house Children with Cancer.
We will not implement any procedural limitations which will cause a delay in delivering assistance to Children with Cancer and their Families.
We will not place any limitations as to the types of assistance we offer as long as there are funds; if there are insufficient funds we will make a concerted effort to fundraise what is needed in order to be of assistance as quickly as possible.
We will help out in whatever way we can, including with warm blankets, clothing, shoes, groceries, electricity, transport and accommodation where possible.
We will offer ongoing current, legitimate, well-researched overall information on Childhood Cancer.
We will offer emotional support where required.
We will advocate National Childhood Cancer Awareness by disseminating Awareness literature in Schools, Hospitals, Clinics, Crèches, Libraries, Businesses and any other Public Space we can, as well as via Fundraising & Awareness Events.
Why We Do Not Do Fundraisers for Individual Children Fighting Cancer
The Little Fighters Cancer Trust offers varied, individualised and targeted Support to in excess of 100 Individual Childhood Cancer-affected Families on a regular basis as well as doing regular National Hospital Ward and Place of Safety Projects which include up to 2,000 Children with Cancer PER project.
LFCT receives minimal Corporate Support, NO Government funding, International grants, or Lotto Funding, so is 100% dependent on public funding.
We pride ourselves on NEVER turning ANYONE away but never make any promises that we may not be able to fulfil. From the very first conversation with Parents, we make it clear that we might not be able to do anything for them at all, as what we do and the regularity of any support we can offer depends completely on available resources.
The Little Fighters Cancer Trust is a small organisation with a few amazing volunteers; no offices and no vehicles, but in each and every heart burns a passion to help these brave Little Fighters!
The Trust is run by passion, determination, love, admiration and, more often than not, on a shoestring and a prayer. We have experienced many instances in which we literally had only a few hundred rand in our bank account and 20 requests for urgent assistance from Families across South Africa. Somehow… we always make it work!
With more than 40 Individual Families currently on our books, 30 of which need assistance with groceries on a regular basis due to them being single-income or granny-run households, we need every cent that we manage to fundraise to help these families and for new requests for assistance that come in from Families and hospitals every day.
LFCT works very hard to fundraise and spends NO money on Fancy Events, Marketing, Branding, or Corporate Gifting. Our Auditors, Lawyer and other Service Providers gift their professional services as donations so that every cent that we fundraise can go to those who need it most.
With so many Children with Cancer and their Families needing assistance, it is impossible to pick out one, two, or six, Children or Families per year for whom to do large fundraisers exclusively to pay for medical expenses, which is a bottomless pit. It breaks our hearts every time we receive such requests, but we cannot single out some to the detriment of others.
With so many Children with Cancer and their Families needing assistance, we choose to do what we can to lighten the load for as many families as we can, and continuously try to DO MORE for MORE Children with Cancer and their Families ~ where we can, and in whichever way we are able.
While LFCT does its best for every child with cancer, it reserves the right of refusal of assistance should it feel that its services, staff, or volunteers are being abused.
