This September, Amazon has joined hands withMake-A-Wish® United Arab Emirates for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to grant wishes to children with cancer, leveraging its scale to support the community. The company is also hosting an employee engagement programme during the month to raise awareness for the cause as part of the global Amazon Goes Gold campaign.
By partnering with Make-A-Wish® UAE, a foundation that aims to enrich the lives of children with critical illnesses, Amazon is helping fulfil the wishes of children undergoing cancer treatment. Globally, Amazon Goes Gold helps fund paediatric cancer research[2]. Since 2017, the company has donated $11 million worldwide to more than 150 paediatric oncology programmes and is donating more than $5 million to seven leading cancer research institutions around the world in 2021.
Prashant Saran, Director of Operations for Amazon MENA said: “As part of Amazon’s long-standing commitment to work alongside local community partners to do good every day, we are determined to make better, do better, and be better for our customers, our employees, and the world at large.[3] Success and scale bring broad responsibility, and our partnership with Make-a-Wish UAE enables us to help bring smiles to the faces of children who are battling cancer. At Amazon, we lead with empathy, educating and empowering our employees with the knowledge required to make a difference.”
Hani Al Zubaidi, Chief Executive Officer of Make-a-Wish® UAE said: “We exist for one reason: to grant magical wishes to enrich the lives of children, including those suffering from cancer. Cancer remains the number one cause of death by disease for children, and we are proud to work with Amazon to make little ones’ wishes possible.”
Hundreds of Amazon employees in the UAE are commemorating Childhood Cancer Awareness Month as part of #AmazonGoesGold, as they raise awareness about paediatric cancer and encourage others to join the battle. Donning a golden ribbon this September, the international symbol for all forms of cancer affecting children and adolescents, Amazonians honoured the resilience of cancer patients. Moreover, Amazon’s Gold Quiz was organised to debunk common myths that may prevent the integration of children with cancer into society. The quiz also shed light on the efforts of global organisations to find a cure and increase survival rates.
Each year, approximately 400 000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer and it is the number one non-communicable disease causing the death of children around the world. The Amazon Goes Gold campaign was launched in 2017 to drive awareness around paediatric cancer and raise funds for the ground-breaking research being done in the field.
