Cancer awareness and education project bringing hope to communities

Durban — Cancervive is showing rural communities that there can be hope after cancer.

Hearing the words ‘cancer’ and ‘celebration’ in the same sentence is rare. However, yearly, thousands of South Africans win the battle against cancer and go on to live fruitful lives.

When discussing how Ray Cassiem, an Education Buddy at Cancervive, has lived with life-threatening cancer for 18 years, the Spar Group’s national advertising and promotions manager, Helen Barrett, said that, as with most things, the more you know about cancer, the more likely you are to understand and work through the implications of dealing with it.

“As a community-based retailer serving people across our nation, the Spar Group concentrates our social involvement on selected projects and organisations that impact education, nutrition, health, and education. Cancervive, an example of how a single person can launch a movement that educates and inspires others, is an inspirational organisation that we have been proudly supporting since 2011,” Barrett said.

“Acknowledged as one of the world’s most dynamic cancer awareness campaigns, Cancervive uses music, dance, and storytelling to inform and educate people about cancer and the importance of early detection.

“What is particularly important is that much of their work is done in rural communities where information is not readily available or easily accessible and that the activities are conducted in the participants’ home language,” Barrett continued.

She said that by using activities rather than lectures to encourage participation, Cancervive ensures that cancer education is original and that all understand how early detection and knowing their bodies could save their lives. By openly addressing all types of cancer and their symptoms, Cancervive also debunks the common myths and social stigmas surrounding cancer in rural areas.

Cancervive also adds an element of celebration to its education mix by involving cancer survivors in actively spreading the message that the battle against cancer can be won.

Cancervive’s flagship event is an annual 10-day motorcycle ride across South Africa. More than 60 cancer survivors, supporters and crew embark on a mission to spread awareness, educate, and deliver the message of hope and encouragement to thousands of school children and community groups along their route.

At stops along the way, Cancervive campaign members share their stories, celebrate life, and recognise that a cancer diagnosis does not have to mean a death sentence. Cancervive also honours those who have lost their battles, and raises funds to help fight the disease and provide care to the most vulnerable.

Barrett said that the Spar Group practically assists Cancervive by covering travel, food and accommodation costs as they move from site to site, reaching out with a message of hope to people in rural areas and township gatherings.

“Spar, with its presence in hundreds of communities across the country, believes that help begins at home – in this case, through our locally-owned family stores that give help where it is most needed. Often their work, and the organisations they work with, do not get the attention and support they deserve, and we’re doing what we can to change that,” Barrett said.

Cancervive Care buddy support/ Western Cape community development and relations officer Rayghanah Cassiem said the relationship between Spar and Cancervive has been phenomenal.

“If we don’t have the support of Spar, we have nothing,” Cassiem said.

“If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we are, and we did a great job by educating those communities. Spar is really hands-on. They are behind us all the time.”

She said that for the past 10 years, Spar has given them the support. They are there for them, and they do so much.

“If it wasn’t for Spar, we wouldn’t have reached so many communities. We went into communities, schools, we did the poor communities, creches, we reached thousands of people,” Cassiem said.

“The more we go out and do this work, and cancer touches these people, it’s going to be easier for them, ‘this team was here, this is what they said’. We left them with a message of hope.

Cassiem said it is heart-warming to see smiles on everyone’s faces, the difference you make.

She said that as a cancer buddy, so many came to her because she knew about cancer buddy support groups and asked her questions.

She also said that some people do not know what cancer is, so they start at the grassroots, what is cancer myths about it.

Learn more about Cancervive by visiting https://www.cancervive.co.za

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