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ASHIC Shelter

The star of all ASHIC programs, the Shelter is a 20-bed accommodation facility for commuting cancer-affected families or patient attendants. Modeled after the world-renowned Ronald McDonald House Charities, the first ASHIC Shelter is only half a kilometer away from the Banga Bandhu Medical University Hospital in Dhaka, where almost all of the cancer patients arrive on a first referral.

In Bangladesh, most of these patients live in rural areas and they are very poor. Since all the cancer-related treatment facilities are based in Dhaka, when these families move to Dhaka for the treatment and follow-up measures of their beloved child, they face a host of different problems. One of these major problems is accommodation and transportation. Accommodations near the hospitals are quite impossible for the parents, especially for the length of time that treatment of such nature requires. As there is no provision for parents' accommodation in or around the hospital complex, it creates severe difficulties; often to the extent that the parents decide to forego the required follow-up treatments and take their children back to their home villages. As you can imagine, this further lowers the survival rates, which are already challenged in face of inadequate treatment facilities.

Hence, the inception of the ASHIC Shelter in 2000. The facility is free for patients and attending parents, while any additional family member can stay at a nominal cost of Tk. 30/day (approximately 50 cents/ day). To minimize misuse of the facility, ASHIC only accepts families who come on recommendation from hospital authorities.

Over the last 3 years, to cater to our target families, we have introduced additional features. We now provide cooking and food storage facilities, and also a play area for the siblings of the affected children. Since June of 2001, we have started to offer evening refreshments to resident patients at no extra charge.

Apart from the Home away from Home that the Shelter provides, its most significant achievement is the higher rate of children, who now remain for their follow-up treatments.

Hs. # 52; Rd. # 3/A; Dhanmondi R/A; Dhaka - 1209; Bangladesh

+88 02 861 3594