Eastern Province Municipality launches Golden Ribbon Campaign to support children with cancer
In a humanitarian gesture reflecting the depth of community solidarity, the Eastern Province Municipality launched the "Golden Ribbon Campaign," which aims to raise awareness about childhood cancer, coinciding with International Childhood Cancer Day on February 15th each year. This initiative comes as part of a strategic partnership with the Sanad Charitable Society for Supporting Children with Cancer, with the Municipality hosting a dedicated information booth for the Society at its headquarters.
Activating community partnerships and supporting young warriors
The Secretariat launched its awareness campaign by hosting an information booth for the initiative, aiming to highlight the challenges faced by children with this disease and to mobilize moral and psychological support for them and their families. This initiative seeks to familiarize all Secretariat staff and visitors with the campaign's noble message and encourage them to provide all available forms of support to this group so dear to everyone's hearts.
In this context, Faleh Al-Dosari, Director General of Public Relations at the Secretariat, emphasized that supporting such initiatives stems from the Secretariat's firm commitment to its social responsibility. Al-Dosari pointed to the importance of strategic integration between the government sector and the third sector (the non-profit sector) to achieve a sustainable positive impact that reflects the values of solidarity inherent in Saudi society, stressing that standing by patients is a national and humanitarian duty.
Symbolism of the gold ribbon and World Day
February is designated as International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and global health organizations have chosen the "gold ribbon" as the symbol for this cause. The choice of gold holds deep symbolic significance, as children are likened to gold because they are the most precious thing in existence, and because they undergo rigorous trials (fire) to emerge stronger and more radiant, just as gold is refined.
International Childhood Cancer Day aims to unite global efforts to raise recovery rates, improve the quality of life for those affected and survivors, and support their families who bear a great psychological and financial burden during the treatment journey.
The importance of psychological support in the treatment journey
Medical and psychological studies indicate that emotional support plays a pivotal role in children's response to treatment. A positive mental state contributes to strengthening the immune system, making the child more resilient to the disease and better able to tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. This underscores the importance of awareness campaigns like "The Golden Ribbon," which break down the isolation surrounding sick children and make them feel that the entire community stands behind them.
Through these partnerships, the “Sanad” Association seeks to expand community awareness of the importance of early detection and to provide the necessary resources for the care of children, not only medically, but also socially, psychologically and recreationally, to ensure their upbringing in a healthy and hopeful environment.
