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Big-hearted volunteers participating in Bahrain Future Society for Youth’s Smile initiative have delivered 60 kits featuring masks, gloves and other essentials needed during these troubled times to support children diagnosed with cancer and their families.
The society, which provides psychosocial support to children with cancer and their parents, have been putting together bags boasting face masks, gloves, sanitisers and moisturisers as supportive Covid-19 protection kits.
The volunteers sterilise the kits during packaging and distribution. They then deliver the bags to the homes of children suffering from cancer, living in different areas, and instruct their parents on how to properly use them.
So far, the society has delivered 60 kits.
According to Soubah Abdul Rahman Al Zayani, chairman of Future Society for Youth, this kind of assistance that is being offered to the families of children with cancer falls within the framework of Smile’s initiative to provide all possible support to sick children, extend a helping hand to their families and back them during these difficult circumstances.
He said: “We, in Smile initiative, work as part of the national efforts aimed at tackling Covid-19 by providing all possible support to the most vulnerable or affected groups, especially children with cancer who suffer mainly from weak immune systems and who need special and permanent care.
“Their immune system needs to be taken care of as these children are still undergoing treatment. Moreover, they regularly visit the hospital so they need these products to protect themselves.”
As based on the request of parents, the society is putting together another 80 kits for its second batch of deliveries. However, they have only been able to compile 30 kits so far as they are having difficulty finding items.
“We are trying to upgrade the bags to be more beneficial to the children and their families by adding up-sized sanitisers, masks and gloves for children and adults, plus moisturiser creams,” explained Soubah. “If we can’t find up-sized items, we will simply double the products. We are now facing difficulties in finding items for our kits so we welcome any kind of support to help us prepare the second batch of 80 bags.”
The volunteers also aim to raise awareness amongst families with children suffering from cancer on following all the official health directives to better protect their children in order to avoid the possibility of transmitting the virus.
According to an emergency plan that was activated by the board of directors, the initiative has suspended all group activities out of fear of endangering the health of these children and its employees are working from home with a hotline for parents to communicate with them if need be or to obtain psychological and social support services.
Soubah added: “We try to keep in touch with the families on a daily bases to make sure that they are well and if they need any help, our team is ready to support. We are already providing some of these children with online education sessions as well.”
To support or for further details, follow @smileofbahrain on Instagram.
