A groundbreaking wellness centre dedicated to supporting approximately 600 paediatric cancer patients and their families each year is inaugurated in San Lorenzo, near Asunción. This historic milestone, a collaboration between the Renaci Foundation and the Maestro Cares Foundation, marks Paraguay’s first comprehensive facility designed to provide specialised, humane care for young cancer fighters.
The centre aims to transform the paediatric cancer treatment experience for the children through a warm, accessible environment. Beyond medical care, it offers psychological support, physical rehabilitation, recreational and educational activities, and post-treatment follow-up. The Renaci Foundation’s innovative programmes, including Telenec – a national telemedicine network for paediatric oncology – and paediatric palliative care, will be housed here.
A space of love and healing
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was graced by President Santiago Peña, First Lady Leticia Ocampos, Minister of Health María Teresa Barán, and model Nadia Ferreira, a key supporter and advisory committee member of the Maestro Cares Foundation, co-founded by artist Marc Anthony and businessman Henry Cárdenas.
Paraguay’s First Lady Leticia Ocampos hailed the centre as a symbol of love and solidarity. “This is just the beginning,” she said. “We are committed to ensuring every child has the right to a dignified, happy life, regardless of their challenges.”
Katherine Celeita of Maestro Cares echoed this sentiment, emphasising the centre’s role as a beacon of hope. “This is our first project in Paraguay, and knowing it will support over 600 children annually fills our hearts. We hope it inspires others to invest in children’s well-being,” she said.
A pioneering model
Miguel Samudio, president of the Renaci Foundation, described the centre for these brave children as a regional pioneer. “Today, we open the doors to a new era of hope and collective commitment to our children’s health,” he said. He credited Nadia Ferreira for amplifying the project’s global reach, calling her support instrumental in connecting this cause to the world.
Ferreira, visibly moved, highlighted the centre’s unique approach. “This isn’t just a building. It is a space filled with love, patience, and humanity,” she said. “It is a model we should be proud of, and I urge our leaders to champion more initiatives like this. Our children deserve the best.”
A legacy of care for young cancer fighters
For 14 years, the Renaci Foundation has worked tirelessly to improve childhood cancer survival rates in Paraguay. As the only organisation ensuring comprehensive diagnosis and treatment nationwide, it collaborates closely with the Paediatric Hemato-Oncology Department at Hospital de Clínicas, the country’s main referral centre.
This new centre, backed by the Maestro Cares Foundation’s first venture in Paraguay, stands as a testament to what can be achieved when compassion and collaboration unite. It promises not only to transform lives, but also to inspire further action for the nation’s most vulnerable.
Read more: Find the Private Institute for Children (Instituto Privado del Niño), a private institute dedicated to comprehensive paediatric care, on this public hospitals, private sanatoriums, clinics, and health centres in Asunción list, composed by The Asunción Times.
