A Beacon of Hope: Anil Nair, CEO of St. Jude India ChildCare Centres, on Supporting Children with Cancer

Why is St. Jude India ChildCare Centres’ work so vital for children battling cancer?

Picture a rural family arriving in a bustling city like Delhi or Mumbai, their child fighting cancer. The diagnosis is hard enough to cope with, but they have the additional burden of financial hardship, often sleeping on unhygienic footpaths near hospitals, risking infections that can derail treatment for immunocompromised kids. Since Shyama and Nihal Kaviratne founded St. Judes in 2006, we’ve offered a lifeline: a free, clean, and supportive ‘home away from home’ environment. Partnering with hospitals like Tata Memorial and AIIMS, we provide accommodation, nutrition, counselling, and education, filling the gap beyond medical care. Our holistic support has cut treatment abandonment from over 30% to under 5% (per Tata Memorial’s data) and reduced risks of infection, boosting kids’ physical and emotional strength for faster recovery.

Can you specify the support that families are offered, and how they aid recovery?

Our centres are true homes - we go beyond providing a roof over their heads. Each family gets a private room with beds, bedding, and storage, plus shared kitchens with stoves and weekly rations for tailored meals and transport to hospitals. Clean bathrooms and laundry areas ensure hygiene and dignity. We maintain strict daily cleaning and hospital-aligned infection controls, to protect immunocompromised kids. In addition, there is counselling for families to cope with the emotional toll, and kids continue learning through activity-based education. Our Chess Coaching Program, launched in February 2025, for instance, helps build mental resilience. Our Job Fair in Kharghar in April 2025 connected survivors to jobs with various partners.

How do facilities vary across St. Judes Centres, and what makes them consistent?

Our 49 centres share a core model: private family units, shared kitchens, bathrooms, and community spaces, all upholding high hygiene standards. But they adapt to local needs—Jaipur’s centre boasts a garden and fruit trees, while Mumbai’s are very family-friendly for urban life. Every centre ensures clean, safe spaces tailored to families’ needs, creating a nurturing environment for healing.

How do St. Judes’ physical spaces, like libraries and play areas, support emotional wellbeing?

Our centres are havens of hope. Bright rooms and spaces like Jaipur’s garden or playground lift spirits. Libraries spark learning with books and activities, keeping children engaged during treatment. Play areas let them laugh, play chess, or just be children, fostering normalcy. These community spaces foster bonds, alleviate isolation, and provide families with the emotional strength to face cancer.

How many families have benefited from St. Judes’ work so far? How extensive is St. Judes’ network of centres across India?

Over the past 19 years, we’ve supported more than 8,000 children and their families who have had to navigate the chaos of cancer treatment in unfamiliar cities. In terms of centres, we’ve grown to 49 Centres across 11 cities—Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Guwahati, Muzaffarpur, Vellore, Visakhapatnam and Varanasi. Our recent expansions in Jaipur and a second centre in Hyderabad have enabled us to reach more families, ensuring that children from remote places have a safe place to stay during treatment.

What is the St. Judes for Life program, and how does it support kids after treatment?

St. Judes for Life, launched in 2020 to honour Rani Vicaji, lives by our motto, “Once a St. Judes child, always a St. Judes child.” With 1,359 survivors enrolled, we provide educational aid, laptops and career guidance. Our April 2025 Job Fair linked children to jobs with organisations like Pratham. Counselling helps them navigate life’s challenges, ensuring our survivors can chase dreams and passions.

How can people support St. Jude India ChildCare Centres through volunteering or donations, and what impact do these contributions have?

We welcome everyone to join our mission! Volunteers can tutor kids, lead art sessions, or support centre activities, bringing joy and strength to families—they can simply sign up at www.stjudechild.org or email volunteerwithus@stjudechild.org.

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