Mariam Foundation – Mariam Foundation

Mariam Foundation is the first Arab foundation for battling cancer, and is the official and sole representative of cancer patients against state ministries, healthcare services and hospitals. Mariam Foundation battles cancer with disregard to race, religion or ethnicity, and over the years, it became the main address for every cancer patient. Based on that, Mariam Foundation has initiated many projects to reach its goal such as daily companions for cancer patients and their families in hospitals and homes, offering financial support for buying special medications and treatments out of health insurance coverage, raising awareness for cancer, promoting the importance of early detection and breaking wrong preconceptions about cancer.

Notable projects:

Mariam Joy: One of the largest, most important projects the foundation has to offer. The project offers daily companions for kids with cancer in hospitals by university students, who receive a scholarship from the foundation. Children patients face many physical and emotional difficulties, such loneliness, language barriers, fear of the unknown and more. Therefore, offering daily companions for children helps them to get rid of these feelings and make their stay in hospitals easier.

Mariam Joy at home: Weekly companions for children patients and their homes by university students who are trained and qualified by professionals in the field to offer emotional support for children.

Mariam Support: Support adult cancer patients by a professional social workers staff, offering support for the patient and his family to cope with cancer and informing the patient about his rights as a cancer patient.

We Love Life: Support groups meeting of current and past cancer patients, helping each other cope with cancer. The groups are mentored by professional social workers to maximize their benefit and while maintaining privacy. The aim of this project is to create supportive groups, whose members can help each other and cope with cancer, raising his self-confidence and working on individual and social empowerment.

Mariam Superheroes: A fun and special event in oncology departments in hospitals. The foundation brings makeup artists, super-hero costumes and special backgrounds where the children can dress as their favorite superhero with special makeup for a special photoshoot in the hospital. The idea is to give the children the feeling of being a superhero in fighting cancer, as well as being a fun activity to lighten up the mood.

Mariam Flight: An innovative project aimed at getting the child of the hospital’s atmosphere in an aerial journey above the country, where the child can choose different journey routes with different sights and places to fly over.

Hayat Festival: The annual Hayat Festival in held to honor people who fought and won the battle against cancer. The festival is attended by people from all over the country and has a wide public appeal. The festival aims to break the molds surrounding cancer: The heroes get on the stage in front of hundreds of people to say it loud and clear: Cancer does not mean death.

Mariam Library: The project translates informative medical booklets and writes special stories designed to help patient cope with cancer. The project translates medical booklets which are handed to families in hospitals into the Arabic language. One of the notable releases of this project is the first children story about cancer, “Namour, The Little Hero”, paints a world close to the child, offering special content to which the child can relate in battling his fears and challenges.

Mariam Fund: This project offers patients financial assistance in buying special treatments which are not covered by health insurances. The financial support is provided through collaboration with healthcare services and hospitals. Also, this project aims to fund and help hospitals acquire new medical equipment, such as funding a new mammography machine for the Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth.

Mariam Doctors: The project offers many awareness and medical lectures about cancer presented by the best Arab doctors around the country. The lectures are given around the country in social gatherings, health institutions, schools and clubs. By doing so, Mariam Doctors facilitates access to information and awareness to all sectors of society.

Mariam Doctors Juniors: A branch of Mariam Doctors Project. The idea is to train and educate young doctors by the Mariam Doctors so they can present the medical and educational lectures by themselves and reach more and more people.

Mariam Day: Mariam Day, a full school day that offers students awareness lectures about cancer, along with many workshops and fun activates, all aimed at raising awareness for cancer in a new and fun way.

Pink October: A series of awareness lectures, conferences and lighting different places and buildings in pink color, taking place across the country during October, the worldwide month for raising awareness and fighting breast cancer. The purpose of the pink illumination is reminding women with the importance of early detection check-ups of breast cancer, which raise survival chances significantly.

A WORD FROM THE FOUNDER

For me, the battle against cancer in the Arab society began when my dear sister, Mariam, passed away from cancer.

Mariam, the young and tender girl, who battled cancer with acceptance and great power, taught us a great lesson with her passing away; power and hope.

Hamada Hamed

Founder / Еntrepreneur

Volunteer

Doctors

EXPERIENCE