Cancer charity makes corporate social responsibility pitch

The need for corporates to work with governments and non-governmental organisations to beat childhood cancer was brought to the fore at a corporate social responsibility summit. The cancer charity, Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP) highlighted ‘Ana’, a childhood cancer mitigation initiative that falls under the ‘Kashf’ scheme for early detection of cancer, at the 12th Annual CSR Summit in Dubai.

The Ana initiative — which literally means ‘I’ — has been specifically named so to encourage patients of childhood cancer to celebrate their individuality irrespective of their physical appearance. Ana works towards improving the lives of young cancer patients and their families, through providing care and financial and moral support that may ease their burden.

Statistics show that 250,000 children are diagnosed with cancer anually and the disease leads to the death of 90,000 children annually.

During the summit, Dr Sawsan Al Mahdi, Secretary-General of FoCP, pointed out that businesses must take into consideration the cultural ecosystem of the country they operate in.

“This is not the age of cheque book philanthropy and single donations. Companies now must address the environment and local culture where they work, sourcing issues that are relevant to the local ecosystem in order to have maximum and sustainable impact,” said Dr Sawsan at a panel discussion on ‘Moving from short-term philanthropy to strategic CSR and sustainability.’

She added that businesses seeking to invest in a sustainable CSR programme with a local charity could focus their attention on any significant social or health issue in the local context, such as the suffering of cancer patients.

Modern CSR programmes must take into consideration the influence of the ‘millennial’ generation — those who reached adulthood by the year 2000, she said. “They are far more conscious of responsible business practices than the previous generation.”

Dr Sawsan explained that the new generation was more discerning when it came to framing brand loyalties. “We stuck to what we knew and liked, but the new generation of millennials want to know that a brand is conscientious about environmental and social issues before they buy.”

The new generation is also more adept at using social media to make their voices heard and is highly influential. This necessitated more fine-tuned corporate social responsibility strategies to achieve long-term success, she said.

Dr Sawsan referred to the recent announcement by Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, supporting free global health care to children with cancer.

Shaikha Jawaher, getting behind the initiative in her capacity as founder and royal patron of FoCP, stressed the need for full cooperation from both private and public sectors to make the campaign a sustainable reality.

-Gulf News