The story of the Cancer Disabilities Advocacy Centre (CADAC) began with compassion and a simple, but urgent, realization.
Dr. Anne Merriman (MHSRIP), the founder of Hospice Africa Uganda and a pioneer of palliative care in Uganda and Africa, had walked alongside three young people during their cancer journey.
Each of them had survived cancer but was left with a disability that made daily life and independence a challenge. They came from families of modest means, unable to afford further education or opportunities for self-reliance. Through Hospice Africa Uganda, these young survivors received initial support, but the program’s resources could not carry them further. Dr. Anne was deeply moved. She feared that without help, these resilient young survivors might be left with no choice but to live dependent lives or even beg on the streets.
It was in that moment of recognition and compassion that the seed of CADAC was planted: an organization dedicated to ensuring that childhood cancer survivors living with disabilities could live with dignity, independence, and hope.
Dr. Anne was joined by Rose Kiwanuka, Uganda’s first palliative care nurse and a visionary in her own right, who had already contributed immensely to the growth of palliative care through her leadership with Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU), the Palliative Care Association of Uganda (PCAU), and the Lweza Community Health Program (LCHP). Together, with a small but passionate team of friends and colleagues, they laid the foundation of what would become CADAC.
In 2021, the initiative was first registered as a Community-Based Organization (CBO) under the name Friends of Cancer Survivors with Disabilities (FSD). Its founding board of trustees included both experienced leaders and the very first three beneficiaries, a deliberate decision to ensure that survivor voices shaped the organization’s mission from the start. In 2023, CADAC was registered as a Non-Governmental Organization in Uganda, INDR165315872NB with the intention to serve the whole of Uganda without any limitations to geographical location. Currently CADAC has supported cancer survivors living with disabilities from more than 5 districts.
The early vision was clear: to secure donor support for survivors to pursue education, vocational training, and meaningful work — not charity, but empowerment. For Vicky and Muhamad, this meant gaining admission into colleges that welcomed and accommodated their disabilities. For Catherine, it meant supporting her to share her powerful life story a journey through treatment, resilience, and survival as a way of inspiring others and she has written this journey in her book “CATHY, SURVIVOR” What began as an act of compassion for three young people has now grown into Uganda’s only organization dedicated to childhood cancer survivors living with disabilities.
Today, CADAC continues to honor the vision of its founder by creating opportunities for survivors to live and thrive beyond cancer.
Since 2023, CADAC has identified over 20 childhood cancer survivors living with disabilities who need support to rebuild their lives.