DESIGN
STRUCTURES
SLIDE TO VIEW →
The design of Rainbow Children’s Village was inspired by a picture drawn by a young cancer patient
THE FUTURE
IS BRIGHT
With its imaginative design and inspiring colour scheme, Harare’s Rainbow Children’s Village is giving hope to children with cancer
Colour is the first thing that hits you as you walk into the Rainbow Children’s Village – the walls are punchy blocks of orange, red, green, purple and blue, surrounding visitors with a kaleidoscope of brightness. The next thing you notice is the shape. Standing in the courtyard, the walls wrap around you in gentle semi-circles, almost undulating, as the windows and roofs pitch at different heights. The effect is peaceful and calm.
Everything about the architecture, interior design and outdoor colour scheme of Harare’s Rainbow Children’s Village, which opened in 2022, is intended to conjure a real sense of fun and optimism. This could not be more fitting since this centre provides temporary housing for children undergoing cancer treatment, giving them, their families and caregivers a comfortable and secure place to rest and recuperate in between the gruelling treatment.
Rooms at the Rainbow Children’s Village are designed and decorated to bring colour and light to its young guests’ lives
Rainbow Children’s Village and its army of fundraisers and donors are trying to reduce the rate of chldren’s cancer mortality in Zimbabwe. According to the World Health Organisation, the survival rate for children with cancer in Africa is approximately 20 per cent, compared with an 80 per cent survival rate for children from high-income countries. This alarming discrepancy is due in part to the fact that many children living far from medical facilities drop out of their treatment programmes, unable to make the numerous long and often painful journeys to and from their villages.
By providing a residential halfway house between hospital and home, Rainbow Children’s Village enables the children to continue their treatment at Harare’s Parirenyatwa Hospital, thus increasing their chances of survival.
“When the children come here, it must be a bright and colourful place that takes them away from their disease and brings out the child in them. That is why everything here is about colours and play,” says David Mckenzie, Executive Director of KidzCan Zimbabwe, the children’s cancer charity which runs Rainbow Children’s Village. “The name ‘Rainbow Children’s Village’ was actually inspired by a child with cancer who drew a picture of a hospital with a rainbow over it,” he says.
‘RAINBOW CHILDREN’S VILLAGE IS A BRIGHT AND COLOURFUL PLACE THAT TAKES THE KIDS AWAY FROM THEIR CANCER AND BRINGS OUT THE CHILD IN THEM’
The job of Pantic Architects, responsible for the design, was to bring the idea of the rainbow to the structure. “We constructed the buildings in semi-circles to mimic the shape of a rainbow,” says Luka Pantic. “By doing this, it creates a sense of joy and fun while also making the children feel sheltered and secure.”
Rainbow Children’s Village currently has eight twin rooms, each beautifully furnished and brightly decorated. There is a spacious communal area equipped with toys and a TV, a classroom, laundry facilities and a kitchen which provides its guests with three nutritious meals a day. The Village also provides transport to and from Parirenyatwa Hospital so there is no reason for the children to miss their treatment.
Since opening last year, the Village has cared for more than 50 children with cancer. Professor Inam Chitsike, a consultant on the children’s cancer ward at Parirenyatwa Hospital, said the Rainbow Children’s Village is already making a positive difference.
“There is no question that having this children’s halfway house is pivotal to the survival of children with cancer in this country; it has significantly improved the outlook,” he says. “Doctors here feel so much more optimistic, and of course the parents are happier because if the children can adhere to the chemotherapy cycles then there is a very high chance of them surviving.”
The future is looking good for the Village: this year, ground was broken for phase two of the centre’s expansion on a neighbouring plot of land. Over the next two years, another 22 rooms will be added, giving many more children the chance to lead a life free from cancer. We look forward to following the journey of Rainbow Children’s Village.
To make a donation to Phase 2 of Rainbow Children’s Village, call: +263 778 852 641.
Email: info@rainbowchildrensvillage.com Visit: www.rainbowchildrensvillage.com