AMALOUNA aims to fight cancer through focusing on three pillars: education, research, and prevention. Education – In Lebanon, people’s fear of cancer is seen in their refusal to give a name to the disease, often preferring to refer to it as “that disease”. AMALOUNA's aim is to get people to know the disease, because only when they understand cancer can they prevent it and fight it. AMALOUNA achiev
es this through its outreach programs and interactive events held in schools, universities, shopping malls, and other venues, as well as during its fundraising events, including the Beirut Marathon and Movie Premieres. Research – Cancer research is transforming the way we are able to deal with cancer. This is why AMALOUNA believes in the importance of promoting and supporting cancer research in Lebanon. AMALOUNA achieves this through its “Student as Researchers Initiative”, which allows high school students to experience cancer research in a scientific laboratory, and through its annual 500$ prize awarded at the AUB Biomedical Research Day, which supports the researcher with the most outstanding cancer research poster. Prevention – Today, we know of many factors that are strongly associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. Increasing the public’s knowledge about cancer prevention is at the core of AMALOUNA’s mission. Awareness lectures have been held so far in high schools and municipalities in several Lebanese regions, including the districts of Hasbayya, Rachayya, Achrafieh, Beirut, Aley, Chouf, Jbeil, and Saida. AMALOUNA was initiated in March 2014 by Dr. Rihab Nasr, a Professor and cancer researcher in the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut. Today, AMALOUNA is a dynamic group of passionate volunteers that keeps on growing as more students, researchers, physicians, cancer survivors and other community members keep on joining the team. One of AMALOUNA's major goals is to increase the chances of underprivileged
communities to access STEM education through programs like STREAM Into College. STREAM Into College provides high school (and college) students with the necessary knowledge and skills to transition into college and take on research projects in Science and Engineering. Particularly, it provides students with the opportunity to improve their soft skills, overcome language barrier, and get a hands-on research experience. AMALOUNA also focuses on empowering female youth to take part of STEM fields.
