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Conference to address breast cancer situation in MENA region.

The Friends of Cancer Patients Society (FOCP) will take part in the inaugural Jordan’s Breast Cancer Awareness Conference, which will be held in Amman from 31 October to 2 November 2008.

This conference, organized by the US-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research, which was founded in 2006 with the aim of reducing the number of breast cancer-related deaths in the Middle East, will be the first event of its kind in the MENA region and will see participation from representatives of regional and international medical and community organizations.

FOCP’s delegation to the three-day conference will be led by Ms. Ameera Binkaram, President of the Board of Trustees, and will include Mrs. Sawsan Jafar, a co-founder, board member and former President of Board of Trustees of FOCP, as well as Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi, the Secretary General of the FOCP. At the conference, Mrs. Jafar will give a presentation on the experience of the FOCP in the UAE and the activities it organizes to spread awareness on breast cancer and methods of prevention and treatment.

The sessions will present the situation of breast cancer in the Middle East and North Africa and the efforts exerted by regional and international organizations to assist those countries in their efforts to spread awareness among women on the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

The conference will clarify the role played by technology and research in effective communication aimed at helping prevent the disease by increasing accessibility and supporting the network of volunteers. The role of statistics and research will be highlighted during the conference sessions.

Commenting on this occasion, Ms. Ameera Binkaram said, “These forums and conferences are among the most important networking events for breast cancer societies, as such events provide those societies with a platform to meet their peers, exchange ideas and experiences, and stay current with the latest developments in breast cancer awareness methods. We will seize this opportunity to introduce the role of FOCP in the UAE community to other societies, to learn from their experiences, and to discuss ways to support cooperation.”

The conference will include workshops on communication networks, donation and volunteer networks, and public networks, in addition to discussing marketing strategies for awareness campaigns, partnership with the private sector, healthcare education, and patient support schemes.

Launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the public-private US-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research was created with the goal of reducing breast cancer mortality in the Middle East.

The Partnership unites local champions in the Middle East and North Africa with experts from the United States to share information and explore ways that we can, together, improve breast cancer awareness, detection, and care for women and families impacted by breast cancer.

Friend of Cancer Patients society is a charity established under the umbrella of the Supreme Council For Family Affairs in the year 2000 under the royal patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, and Honorary President of the FOCP.

The society’s principal aims are spreading awareness and providing help and support for cancer patients. FOCP’s all-around activities include raising awareness of cancer in the society at various levels starting from schools extending to the rural areas of the emirate.

The society offers assistance to patients by providing essential medicines, offering one-to-one psychological relief sessions, monitoring their medical condition, shifting them to specialty hospitals, and supplying monthly provisions to the patients’ families and providing financial aid for complex cancer treatment procedures conducted worldwide.

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