HE Mrs Sawsan Jafar, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Friends of Cancer Patients. © Gilberto Lontro / FDI

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah (UAE), Founder and Royal Patron of Friends of Cancer Patients, and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for the Union for International Cancer Control, is the Forum’s Patron as part of her commitment to the fight against cancer and NCDs.

Friends of Cancer Patients

FoCP charity is a non-profit organisation registered at the UAE Ministry of Social Affairs. FoCP was founded in September 1999 under the directives and royal patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Founder and Royal Patron of FoCP, and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC.

FoCP is committed to helping cancer patients and their families get through the long and arduous journey of cancer treatment. Since its inception, FoCP has delivered moral and financial support to over 1,300 patients and their families, irrespective of their nationality, gender, age, religion or ethnicity.

FoCP provides a broad spectrum of financial and emotional support, with a special focus on cancer survivorship.

Awareness is at the heart of FoCP’s mission, which involves creating awareness around the 6 early detectable cancers; namely, Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, and Skin Cancer under the umbrella initiative of ‘KASHF’ for early detection.

In this regard, FoCP has launched numerous cancer focused awareness initiatives with a regional and international target scope, including Pink Caravan for breast cancer, Ana for childhood cancer, Shanab for men’s cancer, and Mole Talk for skin cancer, all of which aim to benchmark best practices.

With a dynamic team that embraces hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life, FoCP embraces multi-sectorial collaborations to realize its mission. The charity is a member of different international and regional organisations including, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) -Geneva Switzerland, American Cancer Society, and the Gulf Federation for Cancer Control.

FoCP has also partnered with local health bodies such as UAE Ministry of Health, Abu Dhabi Health Authority, Sharjah Health Authority and Dubai health Authority. FoCP has garnered widespread recognition and awards from numerous leading institutions, locally, regionally, and internationally in helping cancer patients and creating awareness about the disease.