Grant awarded for project to improve guardians’ adherence to treatment of leukemia among children in Tanzania
Professor Louise von Essen in dialogue with PhD Student Faraja Chiwanga. Photo: Shadrack Mwamafupa
Congratulations to U-CARE’s Programme Director Louise von Essen, who has been awarded SEK 5,400,000 from the Swedish Research Council for the project ACT-ALL: Reducing caregivers’ discontinuation of children’s treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Tanzania: Development and evaluation of an SMS intervention.
Supporting caregivers
The four-year project, running from 2026 to 2029, aims to increase caregivers’ adherence to maintenance therapy for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Tanzania. ACT-ALL builds on the earlier GuardiansCan project and is carried out in collaboration with Muhimbili National Hospital and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania, as well as researchers at Karolinska Institutet, the University of Exeter in the UK, and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
– This grant will enable us to take the next step in developing support that can make a real difference for children with ALL and their families, says Professor Louise von Essen. If caregivers’ adherence to the children’s treatment increases, the children’s chances of survival will also increase.
Adapting to the current situation
Given the current unrest and political situation in Tanzania, the research team is taking steps to ensure safety for everyone involved in the project.
– We are following the situation closely and working with our partners in Dar es Salaam to adapt our plans as needed. Our goal is to continue the project safely and responsibly, says Louise von Essen.
Miro Anter
About ACT-ALL
In low-income countries like Tanzania, survival rates for children with cancer remain significantly lower than in high-income countries. An important factor is that caregivers do not follow the children’s treatment protocols, partly due to limited knowledge, poor communication, and psychological distress.
ACT-ALL will address these challenges through an SMS-based intervention that reminds caregivers of treatment appointments and provides practical information and emotional support, aiming to improve caregivers’ adherence to the children’s maintenance therapy.
The SMS intervention is being developed in collaboration with children with ALL, caregivers of children undergoing treatment for ALL, and healthcare staff at the pediatric oncology department at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam.