2017

4th February is marked as the World cancer Day every year around the world. This year UICC had declared Support through Sport as the theme for the day promoting active lifestyle and being healthy. Cancer Society of Maldives also participated in this global campaign to raise awareness on cancer. This was the first year World Cancer Day was marked across all atolls in the Maldives.

We had prepared powerpoint presentations and awareness messages and sent to all schools and health centers/hospitals across the country along with additional material to be used in awareness sessions for students, parents and the general public. These were utilized in most of the islands and had helped us spread awareness around the country. Members from CSM and Cancer Support group had appeared on numerous TV and radio shows to talk about Cancer. We had also participated in the worldwide social media campaign “talking hands”, encouraging the public to take pictures with awareness messages on sports gear and posting on social media platforms.

The school activities for World Cancer Day included a lineart/doodle contest, #momentwithart open for all students. Submissions from this will be used to compile coloring books to present to childhood cancer patients in September, Childhood Cancer Awareness month.

To mark the day we had also organized a #WeCanICan Support through sport evening on 4th February from 4:00-6:00pm at Henveiru grounds in Male’. This program was carried out as a sports exhibition open for visitors to come and play different activities conducted by sports associations to raise money for the Cancer Society of Maldives through their respective sponsors.

While the sports activities were going on, awareness tables were set up at the sides to give information to people on general cancers, breast cancer, cervical cancer, oral cancer, skin cancer, childhood cancers and nutrition. In addition to these, Society for Health Education (SHE) had also set up an information table.

18 sports associations/fitness groups and 15 sponsors had been part of the program. The event was broadcasted live on Channel13 and was visited by the Minister of Youth and sports, Ms Iruthisham Adam, Minister of Health, Mr Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, other government officials, cancer survivors, members of CSM and other NGOs, students from schools and people from the general public.

In addition to this Cancer Society of Maldives support group had separate activities to mark their 1 year anniversary since its formation on World Cancer Day 2016. Their World Cancer Day had started with a group yoga session at Rasfannu led by a yoga instructor from the Indian Culture Club. Afterwards they had visited all patients admitted at IGM Hospital with gift baskets.

We would like to thank all the sports associations and fitness groups that had joined us for the #WeCanICan Supportthroughsport event, all the sponsors who had so generously supported our cause, SHE and healthcare professionals who had assisted us by providing information to the public at the awareness tables and all the volunteers without whom we could not have carried out the event so smoothly. Thank you!

We would also like to thank media for their support in spreading our messages, Maldives Artist Community for assistance in the #momentwithart contest, IGM Hospital for allowing our Support Group members to celebrate their 1 year anniversary by visiting patients at the hospital.

World Cancer Day 2017 marked the 1 year anniversary of the Cancer Support Group initiated on World Cancer Day 2016. Support Group marked the day by doing morning exercises, having breakfast together and visiting patients at IGMH.

Cancer Society of Maldives organized a #WeCanICan Support through Sport event to mark #WorldCancerDay on 4th February 2017, 04:00pm to 06:00pm at Henveiru Stadium. We partnered with Sports Associations to organize different Sports Activities at the venue.

Associations who took part in the event were Table Tennis Association of Maldives, Football Association of Maldives, Athletics Association of Maldives, Badminton Association of Maldives , Cricket board of Maldives, Swimming Association of Maldives, Tennis Association of Maldives, Carrom Association of Maldives , Netball Association of Maldives , Handball Maldives, Heat Health & Fitness, 3000-TfG , Ayoga Fitness, MAD Runnersand Indian Cultural Centre - Maldives

Special thanks to our sponsors DHIRAAGU, Bank of Maldives, Bison Travel Maldives, Pyramid, Stelco Recreation Club, #Maldivain State Trading Organization PLC (STO), Ooredoo Maldives , DAMAS, Kaani Hotels , Hotel Jen Malé, Maldives, M7 Maldives, Event Maldives Pvt. Ltd; who partnered with us to raise money through the activities conducted by the sports associations.