Every three minutes, a child dies of cancer.

The true number of children afflicted with cancer is unknown because most of are undiagnosed. Each year, an estimated 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer.

In high-income countries, where comprehensive services are generally accessible, more than 80% of children who received a cancer diagnosis are ultimately cured. But, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the cure rate drops to less than 30%. For example, from 2015 to 2019, the average global 5-year childhood cancer survival rate ranged from less than 12% in Africa to 83% in North America.

Most childhood cancers can be cured with generic medicines and other forms of treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy.

Yet only 29% of low-income countries report that cancer medicines are generally available to their populations, compared to 96% of high-income countries (Lancet Oncol 2018; 19: e252–66)

In these low-income countries:

• Childhood cancer is often detected too late
• There is an insufficient number of well-trained health professionals
• Appropriate treatment is often unavailable or not affordable
• Pain management and palliative care are limited
• Childhood cancer is often not a health priority

To address the geographic inequality in survival rates and support children with cancer and their families, My Child Matters program was launched in 2005. Its aim? Improve diagnosis, access, and treatment—all while strengthening local healthcare systems. My Child Matters’ vision involves building on its legacy to identify system-changing initiatives, empower local teams leading social or organizational innovations, and support upscaling and cross-fertilization between countries and grant recipients.

My Child Matters extends beyond immediate care; it has also influenced the wider field through extensive knowledge sharing, with more than 200 scientific publications written and published on our Open Data Platform. With the collective at the heart of Foundation S, we believe sharing experiences and data is essential to accelerate progress in the fight against childhood cancers. Launched in 2022, our My Child Matters Open Data Platform is helping to do just that.

This innovative platform enables researchers, healthcare professionals, families, institutions, communities, and non-governmental organizations to access critical data for better care and outcomes. It offers a user-friendly interface, promoting transparency and knowledge to advance our work against childhood cancer.