"Our goal is and must continue to be that no child — anywhere in the world — should die from cancer," wrote CEO Giovanni Caforio, MD, and David G. Poplack, MD, of Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers in a Leadership Insights post on BMS.com. "But at a minimum, all children should have the same fighting chance."

In Africa, more than 100,000 children will develop cancer this year, and the vast majority will die, as they have little access to diagnostic and treatment services. This is a stark contrast to high-income countries, where 80 percent of pediatric cancer patients will survive.

Global HOPE will build on the legacy of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation's SECURE THE FUTURE program by sharing and replicating the lessons and experiences from its successful HIV/AIDS model. Secure the Future has helped give children with HIV the opportunity to enter adulthood with a better quality of life and hope for a brighter future.

"This initiative builds on 18 years of success of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation's SECURE THE FUTURE program and will offer new hope to families impacted by pediatric blood disorders and cancer," Caforio said of the announcement.