Hearts of gold

A golden ribbon was raised in Bahrain this week as the Smile initiative launched the ‘Kids Are Gold’ campaign, a nationwide month-long drive coinciding with the World Health Organisation’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The 12th edition of this annual September campaign honours children fighting cancer, celebrates those who have overcome it, and reminds the community of the vital importance of early detection.

“We aim to build on the successes that the campaign has achieved over the past 11 years, and to this end, an intensive action plan was launched at the beginning of September encompassing a series of awareness programmes and innovative community events,” Smile Initiative and Future Society for Youth chairman Sabah Al Zayani told GulfWeekly.

“These efforts aim not only to broaden the campaign’s outreach but also to reinforce its position as a leading platform for raising awareness about paediatric cancer,” he added.

“The campaign also contributes to positioning Bahrain among countries worldwide that dedicate this month each year to fostering public awareness, while providing psychosocial support to children with cancer and their families.”

During the opening ceremony at Smile’s head office in Umm Al Hassam, renowned artist Abbas Al Mosawi, alongside 20 young patients, put together a golden ribbon using cubes.

It was more than an art project, as each child, brush in hand, became part of a living symbol of courage and hope.

“We worked with cubes representing the directions that life sometimes takes us – left, right, up and down – and linked it to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals,” Abbas told GulfWeekly.

“When children connect to goals such as health or knowledge, they feel joy in making something meaningful.

“Each side of the cube invites them to see their place in the world through creativity. Ten years of happiness can outweigh a hundred years lived in pain.”

Sabah described this year’s campaign as a milestone in more than a decade of dedicated work.

“The campaign will offer reliable guidance to the public on how to support children through their treatment journey, with particular emphasis on mental health for both patients and families,” he said.

Throughout September, ‘Kids Are Gold’ will be spotted at shopping centres, hospitals, schools and public spaces across the Kingdom.

Stands and interactive events will give families the chance to learn about the symptoms of childhood cancer, the need for early detection, and the psychological support that can make a crucial difference during treatment.

This year’s edition promises more innovative activities, with a stronger emphasis on utilising social media platforms to reach younger audiences and share messages of hope.

Children who have triumphed over cancer, known as ‘Smile Heroes’, will again be honoured and their recovery celebrated as a beacon for others still in treatment.

The campaign draws strength from a network of community partners.

Companies such as Nuun Watches joined in yesterday, providing timepieces to young patients, while others will support activities throughout the month.

According to WHO, around 400,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every year worldwide.

In the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, which includes Bahrain, there were about 36,000 new cases of childhood cancer and 16,500 deaths in 2022.

While survival rates in high-income countries now exceed 80 per cent, in many low- and middle-income regions, the cure rate is below 30 per cent.

Awareness, early diagnosis and accessible treatment can be the difference between hope and despair.

Earlier this year, the society launched ‘Smile Shop’, a creative platform to support children with cancer and to sell a variety of merchandise, including bags, bottles, books and mugs, featuring striking designs by Bahraini artists, with 80 per cent of the proceeds from the sales going towards the cause.

For its campaign this year, Smile Initiative has more than 100 volunteers supporting the organisation in its outreach.

For more details, follow @smileofbahrain on Instagram.