For three straight days, campaigners of Ashakiranam Cancer Care reflected on their cluster-level progress to plan the roadmap for its future intervention in Kerala to fight cancer.

At the cluster review meeting on April 12th, 13th, and 14th, 2023, the campaigners from Tellicherry for the North Cluster, Vijayapuram for the Central Cluster, and Alleppey for the South Cluster, respectively, gathered to support the existing partners in sustaining the programme with innovative ideas and new learnings.

The Ashakiranam campaign has planned a wide variety of activities to engage not only cancer patients through surveys, detection camps, mobile screening, patient support, counselling, and rehabilitation but also the general public through its creative activities like public gatherings, days of observance, volunteer promotion, patient support, resource development, and awareness programmes.

This quarterly meeting is a platform to get a clear picture of the campaign activities of the Diocesan Social Service Societies (DSSSs) partners and plan for better functioning in the future. It gives time to share ideas and discuss challenges in an innovative manner. This time the cluster meetings also focused on the need for the formation of cancer caregivers in all the DSSS as a show of solidarity towards the three-year-long World Cancer Day theme ‘Close the Care Gap’ to unanimously address the inadequacies in the caregiving services to cancer patients. The meeting was attended by diocesan liaison officers (DLOs) from 31 dioceses to share their activities and new programmes for the given period.

“It is only with the timely guidance and encouragement provided by Caritas India that this journey proceeds successfully. These types of meetings help in taking time-required decisions and engaging in activities more efficiently,” shared Fr. Benny Nirappel, Executive Director, TSSS, Tellicherry. Mr. Abeesh Antony, Caritas State Programme Associate, while setting the context, shared the importance of the formation of cancer caregivers, their training programmes, and functioning strategies.

This time the campaign rolled out multiple programmes focusing on cancer prevention awareness classes, medical camps, financial support for cancer patients, hair and wig donation camps, medical and food kits for cancer patients, and the Can-Care Battalion and Lavender Army programmes. Resource mobilisation activities included sponsorship programmes, Ashakiranam stalls during parish festivals, and Christmas Cake Challenge programmes.

“There are many people in our society who want to contribute, but we have to make a mental decision to reach them. We have to come up with innovative ideas for resource mobilisation based on time. The Christmas Cake Challenge is a good example of this,” said Mr. Dominic while sharing the activities of Shreyas, Bathery.

Ashakiranam Tree for Treatment and World Cancer Day observation were some of the notable programmes during the review period. In the Tree for Treatment Campaign, all DSSS partners across the state have shown their solidarity in good numbers to support cancer patients care programmes. A total of 119 programmes were organised during the Christmas season in all 32 DSSS partners to reach around 5,000 cancer patients.

The programmes cover cake distribution, food and nutrition kit distribution, hygiene and medical kit distribution, income generation programme support, tele-counselling and house visits by volunteers, hair donation, and resource mobilisation events. Around 1,200 cancer patients received financial aid of Rs. 41,56,680 for their treatment, and 1,584 cancer patients received support like food, medical, and hygiene kits during this Christmas season.

Ms. Stephy, Ashakiranam DLO, Anugraha, Pathanamthitta expressed that the “Tree for Treatment Campaign, specifically designed to be with cancer patients, made perfect sense. We have been able to make Christmas more beautiful and could enhance the joy of Christmas among those patients”.

The World Cancer Day celebrations were well done by all the partners. Beyond awareness activities, new networks were used to design more effective projects,” shared Mr. Biju Antony, DLO, NIDS, Neyyattinkara. Around 181 big and small programmes were organised on World Cancer Day across the state to reach out to around 28,136 people. The programmes included cancer awareness sessions by cancer oncologists and experts, community volunteers, cancer early detection camps, initiating cancer surveys, organic farming promotion programmes like distributing vegetable saplings, seeds, manures, etc., cancer patient support programmes in terms of food/nutrition kit distribution, hygiene and medical kit distribution, income generation programme support, tele-counselling and house visits by volunteers, hair, wig, and blood donation events, cancer survivors gatherings, care giver and palliative volunteer training, resource mobilisation events, and volunteer registration and promotion programmes.

During the World Cancer Day celebration, around 2,173 cancer patients were supported with financial aid of Rs. 19,56,000 for their treatment, and 3,527 cancer patients received support like food, medical, and nutrition kits.

The team planned to carry out the next quarter’s activities focusing on school student-related programmes during summer vacation, monsoon support like nutrition, hygiene kits to cancer affected vulnerable families, school kits to students in cancer affected families, Ashakiranam environment day observation in schools and DSSS, and Ashakiranam Onam support programmes, which are the specially discussed and designed programme activities for the next quarter, apart from all the cancer prevention, resource mobilisation, and volunteerism.

Fr. Augustine Binoy, Executive Director of VSSS, Vijayapuarm appreciated Caritas India and said, If the Ashakiranam Campaign, which started years ago, remains vibrant even today, it is because of the long vision of Caritas, the programmes’ clarity of purpose, the acceptance among the community, and the gradual shaping of proactive activities. These sessions of activity planning in advance help ensure the long-term sustainability of the campaign.”

A special group discussion was held to discuss the formation of Cancer Care Givers and the development of Care Givers SOP.The DLOs in each cluster were divided into groups to discuss the caregiver’s identity, eligibility, roles & responsibilities, dos and don’ts, possible challenges, Care Givers structure in the DSSS, and activity plan. In the initial phase, each DSSS will identify 100 Care Givers based on the selection criteria, and Caritas team will train these carers with the support of professionals.

“If cancer care givers groups are formed at the diocesan level, it will be another milestone in Kerala. It will be an opportunity for the volunteers who are currently performing well to enhance their skills and approach patients in a more professional manner. This consultative approach taken by Caritas in developing their guideline roadmap is highly commendable,” said Ms. Nakshatra S. Nair, DLO, KIDS, Kottapuram, while sharing the presentation.

“If the campaign is still strong in every diocese and spreading goodness, it is only because of the deep love and commitment to the campaign.” Strengthening the campaign and incorporating creative new ideas are highly commendable. Collective action leads us to greater good,” said Mr. Abeesh Antony. During the concluding remarks, Fr. Samson Anjiliparambil, Executive Director of ADS, Alleppey motivated the DLOs by saying that “Ashakiranam is an effective programme by Caritas India, undertaken by common people, which has given a lot of hope to a people who thought that their life is over if they get cancer.”