Fundraising festival in Erbil to raise money for child cancer patients

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The “Buy to Heal” fundraising festival will be held in Erbil on World Cancer Day this Sunday to raise money for the expensive medications cancer children in the Kurdistan Region require.

The Kurdistan Region’s financial crisis along with regional conflict has limited access to life saving medication needed by cancer patients, which often causes financial hardship for many families.

The “Buy to Heal” fundraising event will have a variety of products for sale, including paintings by children with cancer, food and handmade crafts, and will also feature a live musical performance.

The event takes place between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Saad Abdullah Palace Conference Center in Erbil.

“Buy to Heal” is hosted by the Global Shapers Erbil Hub and Babylon FM in collaboration with the Nanakali Hospital and the Japanese Iraqi Medical Organization.

All proceeds will be donated to child cancer patients at Nanakali Hospital.

According to the KRG ministry of health, there were 4,808 reported cancer cases in the Kurdistan Region in 2017 – a rate of 92 cases in every 100,000 people. Of these, 905 were cases of breast cancer. As these are only reported cases, it is possible the figure is actually higher. 

A rate of 300 cases in every 100,000 is considered high on the worldwide scale, while a rate of 100 in every 100,000 is considered low.