In their first collaboration with UAE-based cancer non-profit Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP), Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) has made a generous contribution of AED 1 million to FOCP’s Zakat campaign, recently. The charity revealed that this sizeable donation will be used by FOCP to support patients in the UAE who are burdened by the high costs of cancer treatment.

The donation will be utilized to support wide spectrum of cancer care from the costs of first-line and second-line chemotherapy and radiotherapy, surgical procedures, and also help the provision of medication, prosthetic limbs and medical equipment to patients.

The Zakat Campaign launched by FOCP which had good response from private and governmental entities and many individuals over the month of Ramadan was guided by the directives of the Permanent Fatwa Committee in Sharjah. The directives identified two conditions under which zakat contributions could be extended to cancer patients – when the patient is unable to cover treatment costs himself; and for it to be used to cover treatment charges only.

Highlighting the role of active community participation in ensuring the success of their initiatives, HE Sawsan Jafar, Chairperson of FOCP Board of Directors, noted: “Friends of Cancer Patients has been actively working in the UAE since 1999, and we have been blessed with the community support and charitable spirit. The impact of Dubai Islamic Bank’s generous donation of AED 1 million to our Zakat campaign, which was made according to the Islamic fatwa, will grow multifold, helping us bring more cancer patients in the UAE under our care, covering their treatment, and offering them and their families the much-needed support and relief.”

Abdul Razaq Al Abdulla, Head of Community Support Services Department, DIB, said: “Friends Of Cancer Patients is one of the UAE’s most recognized charitable institutions dedicated towards uplifting society by helping one of its segments that needs it most. It has been a true honour and pleasure collaborating with them by dedicating part of DIB’s Zakat collections to their campaign. We hope our donation will go a long way in bolstering FOCP’s noble efforts in bringing hope, happiness and strength to the lives of those suffering from cancer and their families. We look forward to growing our philanthropic relationship with FOCP.”

FOCP launched the Zakat fund-raising campaign, “I Deserve a Life”, during Ramadan to collect Zakat Al-Fitr funds for those who have difficulty affording high costs of cancer treatment in the UAE. The campaign has supported the treatment of 768 patients during 2015 – 2017.=

Founded in 1999, the Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP) aims to promote community awareness about the six early detectable cancers; breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, testicular cancer and colon cancer. Besides its awareness activities, FoCP provides moral and financial support for thousands of patients and their families regardless of nationality and age. It has so far provided support for 4,200 of cancer patients, including children, women and men in the UAE.