Defying Despair: Youth Initiatives Supporting Cancer Patients in Yemen

Haneen Al-Wahsh – Sawt Al-Amal (Voice of Hope)

Mid-November 2024 was a different day for cancer patients at Al-Amal Center in Taiz. While the center faces the consequences of the conflict alone, except for a few seasonal initiatives, a young man, Muneer Al-Mashwali, decided to hold his wedding at Amal Center and donate the wedding costs to the patients.

Muneer provides inspiring lessons for humanitarian actors and the local community: joy cannot grow without being shared with others, including cancer patients, a group neglected by the conflict, and the community’s focus on daily issues.

Al-Amal Cancer Center director in Taiz described the young man’s initiative as a profound humanitarian gesture that revives the spirit of solidarity, especially during crises. Dr. Mukhtar Al-Mikhlafi, director of the Oncology Center in Taiz, considered it psychological support exceeding the financial aid Muneer offered with limited resources.

The groom’s initiative included visiting children with cancer, giving them gifts, and taking commemorative photos. Observers considered it the launch of a new phase of charitable support for cancer patients, urging young people to emulate him.

Youth Activities

Young people can play a pivotal role in alleviating the suffering of cancer patients in Yemen in several ways: volunteering at cancer treatment centers to provide psychosocial support to patients and their families; organizing listening and comforting sessions for patients, encouraging them to continue treatment; launching fundraising campaigns locally or online to purchase medicines and provide treatments; and organizing awareness campaigns through media and social media about early cancer detection and prevention.

Young people can also raise health awareness among themselves in schools and universities, becoming role models and creating initiatives to provide direct services, such as transportation for patients from remote areas to treatment centers; using media platforms to showcase success stories of patients who have overcome treatment stages to encourage others and promote positivity; and many other impactful methods.

2024 witnessed widespread community solidarity with cancer patients, embodied in youth initiatives with limited resources. Charitable meals were a prominent feature of various initiatives in many Yemeni governorates.

The report highlights several youth initiatives that began in 2024, coinciding with World Cancer Day, including initiatives launched by private companies and stores, such as the one launched by Al-Mu’allim Restaurant in Sana’a. The initiative involved preparing the longest zinger sandwich as part of charitable meals, with profits going to support children with cancer.

In Taiz, Wifaq for Peace initiative implemented several school activities to raise funds for the Amal Cancer Treatment Center.

Safa Qasim, the initiative’s monitoring officer, said, “The team targeted eight schools in Taiz with various activities, including distributing envelopes from the Amal Foundation, selling charitable meals to raise funds, and conveying a message to students’ families and the community about the center’s need for support to ensure its continued service provision.”

Balqis of Yemen Association held an event under the slogan “I’ll Start My Year Well” at the end of January 2024. The event included artistic performances and a charitable meal to support the campaign aimed at supporting cancer patients.

Moral Support

Yemeni youth drew inspiration from several countries to establish initiatives supporting cancer patients, including “Arabkum” initiative founded in Jordan. Several young people brought it to Yemen. It aims to entertain children with the disease after chemotherapy sessions, achieving comprehensive and sustainable participatory development, fostering cooperation, and developing initiatives to enhance social solidarity.

A participant in the initiative said, “The goal is to alleviate the suffering of children with cancer by distributing toys and playing with them after chemotherapy, considered the most painful and frustrating stage of treatment.”

Individual and Seasonal Initiatives

Dr. Shawqi Al-Mikhlafi (specialist in critical care) stated, “These initiatives need continuous encouragement from all supporting parties. They are seeds of goodness in a society suffering from a series of crises that have torn apart the spirit of solidarity, with cancer patients bearing the brunt of this suffering.”

He emphasized that these initiatives will have a positive impact if integrated, avoiding the individualism he described as seasonal, limiting their results.

He called on the international and local community to support these initiatives and urged young people to make them sustainable to achieve their desired results and help alleviate the pressure on the health sector amidst deteriorating conditions.

Nashwan Al-Shamiri – a young man – emphasized the need for awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of supporting these initiatives and specialized healthcare facilities to ensure their continued service.

He mentioned leading several media initiatives to raise community funds for cancer patients, but the response was low due to the community’s poor living conditions.

He noted the importance of healthcare professionals accompanying initiative teams to build trust and ensure better coordination and integration.

Youth initiatives play a crucial role in supporting cancer patients, especially in challenging circumstances like those in Yemen. These initiatives embody solidarity and humanity, significantly improving the lives of patients and their families.

They strengthen social cohesion, encourage volunteerism, and provide patients with opportunities to connect with others experiencing similar situations, sharing experiences and feelings.

Continuous Suffering

Cancer patients in Yemen face immense challenges far exceeding those faced in normal circumstances. Years of conflict have severely deteriorated the healthcare system, exacerbating their suffering. Yemen suffers from a severe shortage of essential cancer medications and supplies, directly impacting patients’ chances of recovery. The armed conflict has halted or severely impaired the functionality of many healthcare facilities, making treatment inaccessible to many.

Many patients report that even when treatment is available, the costs are prohibitively high for most, putting it out of reach for many. Many patients struggle to access medical centers due to road damage and high fuel prices, leading to increased cancer mortality rates in Yemen.

Dr. Shawqi Al-Mikhlafi says, “Despite these challenges, many international and humanitarian organizations provide aid to cancer patients in Yemen, but these efforts are still insufficient without community support, by activating the role of youth initiatives as needed, and through a unified program.”