The 2018 World Cancer Congress (WCC) has selected the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project as one of the ‘global innovative projects of hope’ for this year’s assembly, scheduled to take place on Monday, 1 October until Thursday, 4 October 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A collaborative initiative by Bank Windhoek and the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN), the project will be presented as an abstract by CAN’s Chief Executive Officer, Rolf Hansen, under the heading ‘An Apple A Day, Helps Keep Cancer Away’.
Now in its 18th year and having raised more than N$20 million in aid of cancer patients since its inception, the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project will also be showcased as part of the session themed ‘Global Fundraising/Spotlight On Innovative Fundraising Models’ at the global stage.
“This is a remarkable milestone that will remain with Bank Windhoek for eternity. It will always remind us that together, we can defeat cancer in Namibia. To CAN, our staff members, partners and the entire Namibian nation, thank you for all your hard work. Let us celebrate this international recognition and continue to create awareness on the disease and to show people living with cancer that there is hope for recovery,” said Bank Windhoek’s Executive Officer of Marketing and Corporate Communication Services, Jacquiline Pack.
The collaborative initiative of the Namibia National Cancer Outreach Programme which the Bank Windhoek Cancer Apple Project, SPAR Namibia and Gondwana Collection supports, has also been chosen as an effective multi-stakeholder drive and will be offered as part of the global master courses in cancer support for lower income countries. Organised by United Kingdom’s Partnering Initiative (TPI), the Master Course is titled ‘Effective collaborations to address the challenges of cancer: An intermediate course in cross-sector partnering’.
Hansen will also participate in the following lectures: ‘How can we improve the lives of disadvantaged or vulnerable cancer patients’; ‘Inspiring fundraising case studies’ and ‘The role of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) in promoting earlier diagnosis and treatment via primary cancer care’. This will be accompanied by several workshops focused on other pending matters facing the global cancer care community.
“Access to palliative care, pain management, and home-based care of palliative patients is the next key strategic component CAN will be focussing on as from 2019. I am excited that the global move to better cancer care includes palliation, pain management and psychosocial support – all key elements of the cancer journey that have been neglected for a prolonged period worldwide,” said Hansen.
A biennial international initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the World Cancer Congress is a recognised international conference which encourages effective knowledge transfer and best practices exchange amongst 3,500 cancer control and public health experts from 150 countries. It aims to strengthen the participants’ action and impact on national, regional and international scales through a multidisciplinary programme that features the latest successful interventions in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. The National Cancer Society of Malaysia, will host this year’s gathering.