The 12th Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) Relay for Life in Estcourt will be hosted on 3 and 4 September. The 17-hour-long relay will be celebrating survivors, remembering fallen heroes and giving hope and support to those fighting back against the indiscriminate disease which affects everyone.
Organisers of the event, which used to be 24 hours long, are taking into consideration that Covid-19 is not entirely gone and decided to have a 17-hour event this year. Anil Sookraj, principal at Forderville Primary School, is the driving force behind the Estcourt CANSA relay.
“My mother died of cancer, and friends, relatives, and even some of my learners at school have been affected and touched by cancer. I had this vision of creating cancer awareness, advocacy and training for as many people as possible. Being a principal at Forderville Primary School in Estcourt, I had the facilities at the school and the support of the schooling community in hosting the Relay for Life in Estcourt,” said Sookrai.
The first CANSA relay was held in December 2009 and over R32 000 was raised. Sookraj said that he read about an event held in America which created widespread cancer awareness and also raised funds for the Cancer Association in America and now 55 countries around the world are relaying for cancer. “It was then that I decided that we can also host something like this.”
Sookraj said that hosting such events assists greatly in raising funds for CANSA. The Relay for Life in Estcourt has raised over R1.2 million for CANSA. “It promotes nation building, social cohesion and Ubuntu. It also takes the opportunity to celebrate and remembers the lives of loved ones lost. Showing those who are fighting cancer that they are not alone.”
Anybody can participate and the ‘one day, one night’ type of event is a way to show and explain that cancer never sleeps. Sookraj told The Ladysmith Herald that the event is open to all ages, individuals and businesses. “School groups and the youth must have an adult guardian as the teams and individuals camp on the school grounds.”
He said that thousands of people of all religions, cultures and races come together to fight an indiscriminate enemy that knows no bounds. “We are united in our fight to stop cancer so people can celebrate more birthdays.” Sookraj, who is not only an organiser, is a committee member and also volunteers his time to walk in memory of the loved ones he’s lost. “Most relayers form a team of up to 20 members, carry a baton, promote a health message and have fun with friends and family.”
Sookraj said that Covid-19, without any doubt, affected the services offered by CANSA. “Many offices had to shut down and staff were retrenched. Service delivery was seriously compromised.” All funds raised are donated to the Cancer Association of South Africa to be used in KwaZulu-Natal. A portion of the funds is also given to Estcourt Hospice Association for providing support and palliative care to cancer patients in Estcourt.
Sookraj hopes to get both local and out-of-town support. “We are pleased that our 2022 Relay for Life will be sponsored by Jays Steel from Ladysmith, Barberry Group from Gauteng and the Al-Imdaad Foundation from Estcourt. We are hoping to raise more than R100 000 for CANSA.”
For more information on how to get involved, email Anil Sookraj on absookraj@lantic.net.
