Our Beginnings:

BASMA’s actual launch took place in the beginning of the year 2005, when a group of young people started organizing regular visits to the Cancer Ward of the Children’s Hospital in Damascus, the only center for childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment in Syria. The aim was to provide emotional, psychological and social support to those children.

This followed a full year of research and data mining undertaken by the initiator of the project, BASMA’s current chairperson, Ms. Mayya Assaad, as an endeavor to shed light on the condition of children with cancer and their families, the type and quality of services provided to them in Syria, as well as to get a broader understanding of similar experiences in other countries such as Morocco, Greece, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon and how they dealt with childhood cancer from social, psychological and development perspectives.

The above efforts led to the conviction that there is a need for a separate entity whose aim is to support children with cancer…. and so BASMA saw the light.

From its inception, BASMA’s focus was on the social aspect of the disease and its impact on the family psychologically and financially, attention was also given to the medical aspect based on the fact that both issues should be dealt with in order for a child to get appropriate treatment and care.

After a 7-month preparation period, Basma was ratified in April 18th 2006 as the first association in Syria to support children with cancer and their families.

Basma was founded by:

1- Abdul Salam Haykal
2- Chadan Naji
3- Khaled AlFawal
4- Mai Barazi
5- Mayya Assaad
6- Rania Khaddour
7- Rasha Nehlawi
8- Rasha Shamma
9- Roula Hamwi
10- Samer Tello
11- Suheir Boulad
12- Tharaa Edwan

Mission Statement:

BASMA seeks to improve health and social conditions of children with cancer in Syria, throughout providing psychological and proper support to children and their families during the treatment period, as well as the financial support to treatment cost.

BASMA seeks also to provide medical support to the children’s cancer units in Syria in order to upgrade the medical services rendered to children, promote setting up new units locally, and raise community awareness on childhood cancer.

Our objectives:

To provide moral, psychological, and educational support to children with cancer in Syria during treatment.
To provide financial and psychosocial support services to families of children with cancer.
To provide medical services and supplies otherwise not available, as well as specialized medical staff within the children’s cancer units in Syria.
To raise awareness among families of children with cancer and the community about the disease; and rally the community to support this cause.
To build up cooperation with regional and international children’s cancer centres and any other related governmental and non-governmental parties locally, regionally, and internationally.
 

BASMA’s BOD:

Basma is managed by a board of directors of five elected members

Mayya Assaad            Chairperson                             This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Chadan Naji                Vice-Chairperson                    This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Samer Tello                 Treasurer                                 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Khaled Alfawal            Member                                    This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Suher Bulad             Secretary General                      

 BASMA’s BOD works with seven specialized commission that group volunteers:

Financial Support Commission

Psychosocial & moral Support Commission

Awareness Commission

Volunteers Management Commission

Public Relation and Fundraising Commission

Medical Units Support Commission

Supply Commission

BASMA Now:

• BASMA now have 85 committed and motivated volunteers

• BASMA now has reached its first milestone by establishing the first Specialized Unit for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer in Syria (BASMA UNIT at Alberuni)

• BASMA now has 62 employees 90% of them are medical and Para medical employees that work in the units which treat children with cancer

• BASMA now has serviced more than 1700 children with cancer from all over Syria.