Members of the Muscat Quilt Guild, a group of women with artistic and leadership skills, weaved a king-size quilt and donated RO 3,000 to the Omani Cancer Association (OCA) to support the voluntary association.
As many as thirty women from different backgrounds and nationalities got together and have been extending their support to various charities and noble initiatives.
"We are happy to extend support to the OCA as a token of our gratitude for their services to cancer patients, especially the children, and we assure all our support to them," Muna Fareed, an active name in the group, told the Observer.
The large quilt and other handmade goodies were given away to the winners of the handpicked members.
The group, led by Pam Jacobs, a good Samaritan fond of doing charity work, meets every month at the house of one of the members, a hotel, or any other place and decides upon the charity initiatives they should undertake and implement under her guidance. These women spare a significant portion of their time to come together and dedicate themselves to uplifting the weaker segments of society.
"We are happy that our partner, Muscat Quilt Guild, has supported us with their humble efforts. I'm happy to be announcing that the group will be given a permanent place for functioning from the OCA premises which is going to be built on the land, given as a royal gesture to support the OCA, coming up in Madinat Irfan next year," said Dr Wahid al Kharusi, Chairman of OCA.
"We urge all parents of children with cancer to bring them to the Dar Al Hanan, get the treatment and facilities free of cost, and help their children live a life of dignity. One shouldn't forget the patient's family, and it is not just their suffering but their families as well," he added.
In the Sultanate of Oman, childhood cancers affect 6.7 per cent of those under 14, with leukaemia being the most common. Perceived unmet needs often compound the psychological distress of having a child with leukaemia by the child's primary caregiver.
According to him, between 2007 and 2011, the number of children affected by cancer rose across the world, and Oman was not any different, and Dar Al Hanan was the need of the hour, and such a service made a real difference in their lives.
"Dar Al Hanan is the brainchild of Yuthar al Rawahi, who visited the hospitals to see what the patients require and understood the plights of parents of children with cancer. Then, she initiated the Dar Al Hanan concept to support them with decent, temporary housing and food and transportation back and forth to the hospital."
Dar Al Hanan takes care of all patients irrespective of their nationality, colour, or other differences and only aims to extend services to those in need.
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