Members' corner

ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) is the fundraising and awareness organisation for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It is dedicated solely to raising the funds and awareness necessary to support the work of St. Jude in advancing cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. ALSAC coordinates the fundraising activities of 12 million active donors and more than 1 million volunteers, raising $2.4 billion in FY23. Through the St. Jude Global Alliance, ALSAC shares fundraising knowledge and expertise with foundations worldwide by providing education, training, and global conferences. St. Jude has set an ambitious goal to raise global survival rates for six of the most common types of childhood cancer from less than 20 percent to 60 percent by 2030. It’s part of a six-year, $12.9 billion strategic plan that will accelerate progress in treatment and care for children with cancer around the world.

Bring Hope Humanitarian Foundation

Bring Hope Humanitarian Foundation (BRING HOPE) is a non-profit organisation, founded in Sweden, committed to restoring dignity, harmony, and hope to those affected by displacement, poverty, and crises. Established in 2015, BRING HOPE operates globally, providing humanitarian aid and development programmes to vulnerable populations, including refugees and migrants. Through its diverse humanitarian, social, and economic development activities, BRING HOPE has reached millions, offering essential aid such as food, hygiene products, and medicines, alongside educational and empowerment programmes. With a philosophy that "anyone can bring hope," the foundation inspires remarkable efforts to reduce suffering, promote long-term well-being and facilitate hope for individuals across all generations, genders, religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. BRING HOPE has made significant impacts in crisis-affected areas like Iraq, Ukraine, Turkey, Syria, and Yemen, with specific projects focusing on capacity building, women’s and youth empowerment, and climate education, fostering self-sufficiency and resilience in the communities it serves.

EUROPA DONNA - The European Breast Cancer Coalition

Europa Donna – The European Breast Cancer Coalition is an independent nonprofit organisation whose members are affiliated groups from countries throughout Europe. The Coalition works to raise awareness of breast cancer and to mobilise the support of European people in pressing for improved breast cancer education, appropriate screening, optimal treatment and increased funding for research. Europa Donna has national groups in 47 member countries.

The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition proudly launches its new initiative for Bladder Cancer Awareness Month

The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition proudly launches its new initiative for Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, starting May 1st. They aim to spark conversations that raise awareness about bladder cancer by highlighting the symptoms of bladder cancer and overcoming any barriers to seeking medical advice.

Their campaign introduces "Spot the Drop" - an engaging online game which connects seeing red to taking action by challenging your reaction time. You can see how you stack up against famous sports stars or even compare yourself to professions that rely on quick reflexes.

But there's more than just fun and games: "Spot the Drop" emphasises the importance of early detection and prompt medical attention if symptoms arise, highlighting how prompt action directly impacts early diagnosis and survival rates.

Play the game, test your reaction, share it with your community, and help spread awareness about the importance of early detection.

How else can you get involved this May?

There are a number of different ways that you can join the community and lend your support this Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition has resources in over 9 languages on their Padlet on this page.

The first cancer hospital for children in Romania paves the way for a medical campus

The Give Life Association (Dăruiește Viață), a UICC member organisation led by Carmen Uscatu and Oana Gheorghiu, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by completing Romania's first paediatric hospital exclusively dedicated to cancer and severe illnesses in Bucharest. In the face of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this ambitious project, initiated two years ago, not only signifies the construction of a hospital but also a transformative shift in healthcare delivery for paediatric cancer in Romania. With support from over 350,000 individuals and 8,000 companies, the hospital spans 12,000 square meters, housing advanced medical facilities, including the country's first Paediatric Radiotherapy Department in a public children's hospital, addressing a critical gap in the healthcare system.

However, the completion of the hospital was not without hurdles. The Give Life Association, while rallying support for the project, concurrently mobilised resources to aid frontline health workers during the pandemic and distribute protective and medical equipment nationwide. As the hospital begins its operations, focus shifts to the next phase of development—an additional building to create a comprehensive medical campus. This endeavour continues to rely on the generosity and support of donors and the broader community, including notable contributors like ENGIE, OMNIASIG, and Raiffeisen Bank, emphasising Romania's commitment to elevated healthcare standards and holistic care for paediatric patients and their families. For more information read the following article: The first cancer hospital for children in Romania paves the way for a medical campus | UICC

Fact sheets on the effects of alcohol use

Many people are not aware of the negative health effects of alcohol use. Even more, only few people know that drinking alcohol – already in low amounts – increases the risk for cancer. Besides increasing cancer risk, alcohol use is involved in the development of about 200 diseases. It doesn’t matter, whether you drink beer, wine or spirits, it’s the alcohol itself which is harmful.

This small series of factsheets on just two pages each shows several harmful effects of alcohol use: most important, the association between alcohol use and cancer risk, but also other health effects of alcohol use, alcohol dependence and why you never should drink alcohol when using medicines without consulting your doctor. Extremely harmful is drinking alcohol during pregnancy, as this may harm the unborn child and may cause lifelong physical and mental impairments and behavioral problems.

For more information visit the links to the factsheets:

• Factsheet on alcohol and cancer
• Factsheet on adverse health effects due to alcohol use
• Factsheet on alcohol dependence
• Factsheet on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

The other victims of Advanced Breast Cancer

UICC member ABC Global Alliance's latest campaign, 'The Other Victims of Advanced Breast Cancer,' is an initiative driven by real-life stories from around the world. The campaign aims to spotlight the often-overlooked impact of this disease on partners, children, parents and other loved ones of advanced breast cancer/metastatic breast cancer patients. It emphasises the profound ripple effect when patients do not receive timely and adequate treatment.

The campaign encourages you to explore the website www.abcglobalalliance.org, where you can discover ways to contribute to positive change.

ABC Global Alliance is a nonprofit organisation, and a multistakeholder platform based in Portugal. It brings together individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing, promoting, and supporting concrete improvements. The collective goal is to raise awareness and drive actions that contribute to enhancing and extending the lives of patients worldwide who are living with ABC/mBC.

GIAHC and Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII)'s Cervical Cancer Prevention Campaign (CCPC) Report

The report details a campaign by UICC member Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC) and Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII) to raise HPV awareness on and around March 4th, International HPV Awareness Day (IHAD). The program was aimed at raising awareness among young adults and health care professionals in-training in Mysuru, aligning with WHO’s Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination. The purpose of this programme was to deliver tested and effective communication toolkits to improve awareness about risk factors, health literacy, and behaviour change for communities in areas of HPV, HPV vaccine and cervical cancer prevention and then plan for future activities that will promote cervical cancer prevention through screening and vaccination in Mysuru, Karnataka, India. 

Click here to access the report.