When Megan Webber, Co-Founder of KnowTheGlow, joined Ruth Ngaruiya, Program Manager for Africa, and Helene Dameris, Director of Global Outreach,on a Zoom call with David Makumi, CEO of Faraja Cancer Support Trust, they were also joined by his team members including Program Manager Dr. Stephanie Ndung’u, Medical Fund Manager Maryam Hassan, and Jane Musili, the new Crafts for Cure Coordinator.
David Makumi, who has been with Faraja for just under two years, is a seasoned leader in the African cancer space. He explained that Faraja offers a holistic model of support. Founded fifteen years ago by breast cancer survivor Shaira Adamali, Faraja Cancer Support Trust was established to provide access to holistic services including psychosocial support, complementary therapies and a safe space for patients and their families. Faraja, which means ‘comfort’ in Swahili, provides emotional, practical, and financial support to cancer patients and their families across Kenya, with programs in at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH)
Faraja’s programmes includes music and art therapy, support groups, and financial assistance through its Medical Support Fund, which has used almost 60 million shillings to over 10,000 patients since 2017. Its Crafts for Cure program alone reaches close to 700 children weekly in Nairobi and Eldoret. Beyond direct patient support, Faraja also recognizes the mental toll cancer care takes on healthcare workers. The team has created a program where professionals provide psychological debrief to support oncology staff including nurses and doctors in public hospitals. These sessions are tailored to address the specific needs of different teams. By bringing in neutral facilitators, Faraja ensures that caregivers have space to process the emotional burden of their work, which is essential if they are to sustain their own mental health.
During the call, David shared how impressed he and his colleagues were by KnowTheGlow’s global reach, saying they were blown away by how KTG customizes content to fit local situations.
The connection between Faraja and KnowTheGlow began through Ruth, whose friend Grace Mbugua’s son is a retinoblastoma survivor. Grace created a WhatsApp support group called Victorious Children Support Group. In that group, Ruth noticed that Faraja had assisted a patient with chemotherapy costs, which led her to learn more about their work and eventually to the introduction that brought the two organizations together.
Faraja is also preparing for its next major community event, the “Be Bold, Go Gold” Walk and Run for Childhood Cancer, scheduled for September 20, 2025. The annual event rallies families, healthcare workers, and supporters to raise awareness and resources for children living with cancer, and it has become one of the most visible ways Faraja unites the public behind its mission.
The call ended with a sense of shared vision. Both organizations saw opportunities to engage further in awareness and education. For David Makumi and his team, Faraja’s mission is rooted in compassion, innovation, and resilience. For Megan, Ruth, and Helene, the conversation was not only inspiring but also the beginning of a promising engagements that could expand awareness, strengthen early detection of retinoblastoma, and provide more families with the comfort, hope, and life that Faraja represents.
