While we were growing up, my parents were always encouraging my siblings and me to do something constructive and not waste our time.
That must have been one reason I developed an affinity for social work early in life. In fact I began participating in social projects during my school days where every month, my school - The International School of Choueifat, Sharjah - used to organise fund-raising events to help the needy or organisations that were involved in improving the world in some way.
I come from a family which has a history of cancer. Several members of my family have been victims of the disease. I began working with cancer patients 11 years ago. A cancer society, Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP), had just been set up in Sharjah and I was invited to join the organisation by a very senior and respected member in the society. I was happy to join because the issue was very close to my heart. Also, most of us on the board were either victims of the condition or had a dear one who'd succumbed to cancer.
At FOCP we help patients by educating them about the disease, and in some cases by making their wishes come true.
We also create awareness among the public, since a lot of common cancers, if detected early, have a very high rate of survival. We are trying to highlight this fact through the FOCP Kashf initiative, which was launched this year.
The Pink Caravan Kashf is one of the initiatives for breast cancer awareness and detection. We also want to push the authorities to establish a UAE cancer registry.
The Oil Baron Charity Ball (OBCB) is a fundraiser for and supporter of FOCP, and our ongoing partnership is more than just financial. Every year the OBCB takes a list of our child patients and fulfils at least one of their wishes, whether that be by sponsoring their school fees or providing them with a laptop or an iPod. We need to encourage more such organisations from the private sector to support FOCP by creating activities and fund-raising events and spreading awareness within different sectors. My work at FOCP and developing the oncology sector in the UAE are my top two priorities.
I think women in the UAE are privileged compared to their counterparts in other parts of the world. I believe it's a bonus to be a woman. I also believe every woman should be engaged in something meaningful, if not a career then at least some kind of charity work. If they become mothers, this would also help them set a good example for their children.
I was lucky to be born into a family where I was always involved in some activity, be it horse riding, reading, sport, dance, music, or learning a new language. All this kept me active.
I believe in the well-known Arabic saying "Whoever wants to pray will make time to pray".
Similarly, if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person and he will manage to make time for it. Of course, for this to happen, the person will have to believe in it.
I remember when I told my dad that I wanted to work, he said, "before I send you into society I need to train you".
He asked me to join his construction company, where I started as an office girl and had to serve coffee to all the managers. Gradually I worked my way up and was responsible for human resources and development. During that time we had around 4,000 employees and I had to look into their concerns and requirements. Taking care of other people's needs thus became a part of my nature, so working with a charity is easy for me.
My family supports me in everything I do. They are who I go to for ideas and inspiration. They give me advice and are involved in all of my decisions. Even if they disagree with one of my decisions, they would still support me and make sure everything turns out alright for me.
Your role model in life?
My role model is my father Abdelrahim. He worked his way up and he made sure that we learnt to make our way. Having knowledge is one thing and being dependent on yourself is another thing.
One quote you firmly believe in?
"If it is not broken don't fix it." This is something I really believe in especially at work. I have been in charities and NGO's other than FOCP where the board members have changed regularly. Every time a new team is appointed, rather than building on the previous team's successes, they start all over again. The result: by the time the new team's tenure comes to an end, they would have not started on their actual mission.
For volunteering in FOCP email: info@focp.ae
My world
- Who: Ameera Abdul Rahim Binkaram
- What: Chairperson of the Sharjah Business Women Council, President of Board of Trustees (Founding Member) of Friends Of Cancer Patients Society
- Where: Sharjah
