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March 2010

Children’s cancer month a success

BASMA, a children’s cancer support NGO, ran a campaign in February with daily events and activities to raise awareness and funds for children with cancer and their families. It was the third time BASMA, which formally began operating in 2006, has run such a campaign.

Putting her weight behind the campaign, titled ‘Children’s Cancer is the Responsibility of Us All - We All Are Able To Contribute’, Syria’s Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Diala Hajj Aref said supporting child cancer patients and their families was not only the responsibility of government, but also society at large. Aref made the comments during a press conference at the University of Damascus’s Rida Said Conference Hall.

“Improving the situation of children with cancer cannot be achieved unless all community members support this issue,” Aref said. “Each one of us has a role to play, to provide support and assistance to these children and make a contribution, no matter how big or small.”

Speaking about the government’s assistance to children with cancer, Hajj stressed that material and financial support are not all that is needed. She said efforts to ease bureaucratic procedures for groups working to support children with cancer should also be responded to.

BASMA Press Officer Laura Khudair said the NGO held the month-long campaign every year to raise awareness about children’s cancer and mobilise community support around the issue.

“We work based on the fact that children’s cancer is a curable disease, given adequate treatment and care,” Khudair said. “Together, we can give a child with cancer a chance to live like other children and to be cured of the disease. We believe that our goal to address the quality of care for each child with cancer in Syria cannot be achieved unless everyone adopts this issue.”

Events organised by BASMA included a concert by well-known Syrian singer Asala Nasri on February 4 and a performance by the Ornina Orchestra on February 8 at the Damascus Opera House. Other, more novel fundraising initiatives saw Abu Watfa jewellers donate the sale price of every Hublot watch sold at any of their stores on February 16 to BASMA and Patchi chocolates in Homs donate 20 percent of their takings for the month to the group.