By: Matt Emma

Sawera Health Foundation, a global nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children and families battling cancer, has announced its plans for global expansion, starting with India. Its partnership with the Aroh Foundation aims to address one of the most pressing challenges in pediatric oncology: treatment abandonment in India.

The collaboration will launch its first pilot programs in Indian public hospitals within the next three to four months. The goal is to empower families, social workers, and healthcare providers with digital tools that could help children stay on track with their cancer treatments.

“Treatment abandonment has been a contributing factor to children losing their lives,” said Abhishek Avasthi, founder of Sawera Health Foundation and father of a childhood cancer survivor. “Even in one of the best healthcare systems in the world, our family struggled. Just imagine the challenges families face in under-resourced public hospitals in India. That’s why this partnership is so important, and it’s crucial to start as soon as possible.”

The decision to partner with Aroh was clear, given Aroh’s deep roots in India’s healthcare landscape. It has built an extensive network working within public hospitals where the need is greatest. With boots on the ground across the country, Aroh seeks to connect directly with families and clinical social workers. In doing so, it has helped to ensure that Sawera’s digital health platform complements rather than replaces the critical human support system, which remains essential.

“Technology alone is not the sole solution,” Avasthi said. “It should be paired with trusted local organizations that understand the unique ground realities. Aroh brings exactly that experience and reach.”

Avasthi recognizes that technology is the bridge between those who need support and those fighting to provide such support. It is the catalyst for operations to work more smoothly. And that is exactly why Avasthi believes that this partnership is so important in India. The numbers are telling, “I have seen it first-hand, doctors who are desperate to help, but with limited time and resources, their impact is often constrained. After all, a medical professional in Europe may see 20-30 patients a day, whereas that same professional in India could be seeing upwards of 200. How can they possibly support their patients, never mind educating their families in such circumstances?”

The pilot project is set to begin in the next few months, driven by urgency rather than perfection. Avasthi’s approach is embedded in the belief that childhood cancer cannot and should not wait. Every delay increases the risk of another child falling off their treatment plan.

While Sawera and Aroh are committed to beginning immediately, both organizations acknowledge that their impact is currently limited by resources. Additional funding would allow them to scale faster, expand beyond the first three cities, and provide more robust digital and human support to families.

“This is a mission much larger than any one organization, and it’s greater than us,” Avasthi added. “We are operating on a tight budget and bootstrapping our way forward, because the problem demands a solution now. But with broader support, from funders, partners, and individuals, we can increase survival rates for children in India and beyond.”

At its core, this partnership represents more than just another new program. It is a shift in mindset about how the world approaches childhood cancer, seeing families as active participants who require the right tools, guidance, and support.

Through Sawera’s digital health platform, families can track medications, log blood values, share treatment calendars, and stay connected to hospitals and social workers. Combined with Aroh’s ground-level presence, the initiative aims to ensure that no child misses out simply because their family finds it difficult to navigate the complexity of treatment.