By 
By Ross Moyo
NetOne has given a shot in the arm for kids suffering from cancer through donation of key assortments and lining up of a charity golf tournament. The telecoms operator partnered with KidzCan Zimbabwe to deliver immediate winter relief and mobilize corporate support ahead of treatment scaling.
As Zimbabwe faces colder months, KidzCan Executive Director Daniel McKenzie says winter poses extra risks for immunocompromised children. Speaking at a NetOne Winter Drive event hosted by KidzCan, Rainbow Children’s Village at 111 East Road Belgravia, Harare, McKenzie made his point. “Warmth is part of care. A cold child is a child whose body is fighting two battles,” he said.
He welcomed NetOne’s 2026 Winter Drive partnership with KidzCan Rainbow Village. The telecoms operator donated blankets, bed linen, blood pressure monitoring machines, glucometers, blood sugar testing kits and other essentials for patients and caregivers. “NetOne understood urgency. While we prepare for the golf tournament later this month, they moved now to deliver immediate support. That is partnership with impact,” McKenzie said.
KidzCan Executive Director Daniel McKenzie said the NetOne KidzCan Charity Golf Tournament set for 26 June in Bulawayo is about scaling care, not just raising funds. “Every dollar raised helps us support more children through diagnostics, medications and housing at Rainbow Village,” he said.
Rainbow Children’s Village houses children and caregivers free of charge, 
with each having their own room. Many families travel from outside Harare and arrive with limited resources. “Blankets and clean linen mean parents can focus on treatment, not survival basics,” McKenzie noted. “It’s colourful, it’s safe, and it lets mothers focus on healing while children still get to be children,” he added.
The Winter Drive aligns with KidzCan’s mission to bridge gaps in care. “We support diagnostics and medications because cancer treatment is expensive. NetOne is now bridging the comfort and dignity gap too,” he said. The foundation’s work spans clinics to referral hospitals. Through the Ministry of Health MOU, KidzCan trains nurses in Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Sadza, Chivhu, Nyanga and now Makonde on early detection of leukemia, retinoblastoma and Wilms tumour.
McKenzie said the initiative builds momentum toward the 26 June Bulawayo tournament. “When business leaders tee off for a child in Binga or Mutare, that child gets a better chance to complete treatment and return to school,” he said. He credited NetOne’s Winter Drive for demonstrating how partnerships should work: “Respond to need now, build capacity next.”
McKenzie linked KidzCan’s work to WHO’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, where Zimbabwe is a focus country. “The target is higher survival rates. That needs awareness, treatment support and accommodation. NetOne is helping us deliver all three,” he said.
“Corporate partners like NetOne show that business success and social impact go together. When a company connects communities to hope, not just networks, children benefit,” he said. His message to corporates is clear. “Winter cannot wait. Children cannot wait. We need more partners to step up so no child fights cancer alone,” McKenzie added.
This way the Telco gives shot in the arm for kids suffering from cancer through donation of key assortments and lining up charity golf tournament.
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