First Lady Dominique Ouattara inaugurated the home of life at the Dominique Ouattara Mother and Child Hospital in Bingerville, on Thursday June 13, 2024.

The inauguration ceremony which took place on the esplanade of the home of  life witnessed the participation of by Mr. N'Gou Pierre Dimba, Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, and many other personalities.

The "Home of life" is a residential facility designed to facilitate access to care for children with cancer living far from their place of treatment. Built jointly by the Lalla Salma Foundation and the Children Of Africa Foundation, the accomation has cost one billion CFA francs.

Indeed, the fight against cancer is a long and difficult journey, especially for children who often find themselves far from home and their families, during extended hospital stays.

The home of life is going to solve this problem by providing a temporary home for parents and children undergoing oncological treatment at the Bingerville hospital.

The stay in this home is entirely paid for by the Children Of Africa Foundation.

Taking the floor, the First Lady, Mrs Dominique Ouattara, recalled the objective of this new project carried out in partnership with the Lalla Salma Foundation. According to the wife of the Head of State, in recent years, the number of cancer patients received at the MCH has continued to rise, like in other countries. And families sometimes come from far to have their children treated. We wanted to resolve this problem that is why this project was born, under the wise advice of Princess Lalla Salma. "It was with the aim of helping these families already very much morally and financially affected by long-term treatments, that, under the wise advice of Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, we built the Home of life at the MCH.

This accommodation will enable families from far away to stay close to the hospital in pleasant conditions during their children's treatment," said Mrs Dominique Ouattara.

The wife of the Head of State also revealed that the project had been co-financed by the two Foundations to the tune of 500 million F CFA each for its construction and equipment. "This project was co-financed by the Lalla Salama and Children of Africa Foundations, to the tune of 500 million FCFA each. A total of one billion FCFA for the construction and equipping of the home of life," explained Mrs Dominique Ouattara. She concluded by thanking the Lalla Salma Foundation for its contribution to the project.

She also expressed the hope that this new project would provide a haven of peace for sick children. "I remain convinced that this place will be a haven of peace, which will restore serenity to families affected by illness. These are the actions we are taking through the Children Of Africa Foundation’s program, especialy in the health sector, to help and relieve women and children in need", she added.

Mr. N'Gou Pierre Dimba, Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, underlined the importance of housing patients and their families in the health care process. For him, the home of life will not only enable parents to visit children undergoing oncology treatment at the MCH, but will also enable children to continue schooling during their treatment, while providing them with an ideal living environment for their recovery.

Professor Maria Bennani, Director of the Lalla Salma Foundation, shared the experience of the Princess Lalla Salma Foundation in providing care and accommodation for people undergoing oncology treatment in Morocco. Professor Maria Bennani pointed out that the "Home of life" are shelters of peace and hope for indigent patients undergoing outpatient treatment. They offer shelter, moral support and a caring community to patients during their treatment. According to Professor Maria Bennani, experience in Morocco has shown that almost 50% of patients undergoing cancer treatment give up because of factors linked to accommodation problem.

"From a treatment drop-out rate of almost 50% in 2006, a study having shown that the problem of accommodation was one of the major causes of treatment abandonment, we have very quickly moved on to a drop-out rate due to remoteness of 3% in around 2 years in the Casablanca region", she shared. The construction of shelters which offers free accommodation to patients and their relatives, has helped reduce the drop-out rate among patients undergoing treatment.

Mr. Topka Jean-Claude, 1st Deputy Mayor of Bingerville, thanked the First Lady for her many actions and achievements on behalf of his community.

The ceremony ended with a guided tour.