When describing the driving force for his work to help cancer patients, Dr Moussaoui quotes a phrase from Louis Pasteur, who had once said, "I did everything I was capable of, for my country." Dr Moussaoui was 10 years old when he first read Pasteur’s words. He died very soon before his last public speech, so somebody else did it for him. These words marked Dr Mousaoui for life, and that was how he came to the idea of creating the El Badr Association.
"Badr" means "full moon" in Arabic. The founders of the Association were thinking of their old, lonely, desperate cancer patients who were living in darkness because of their illness, so they chose a name that would show how determined they were to bring the light into that darkness.
It gathers people of all walks of life, each unique with their own personal experience and professional expertise, who all believe they could do something for other Algerians, suffering from cancer. "It was a cornerstone in my life and career when we created the Association back in September 2006," recollects Dr Moussaoui. "We have seen so many people who slowly die of cancer, without hope and in pain, that we felt we had no choice but to do something together, just to relieve their suffering and improve the care they are given."
"Since then, we are already seeing an amazing progress in how cancer patients are treated: associations are being set up to fight cancer, government is establishing many cancer treatment centres, and the global health community acknowledges and congratulates our exemplary work."
A major accomplishment is that Algeria developed and launched its first-ever national cancer plan. This gave the El Badr team the strength and energy to continue, and open in 2015 its cancer patients home.
"Our fantastic team of colleagues and volunteers are ready to share our experience and ideas," insists Dr Moussaoui. "Because we believe many more fellow-citizens should be involved in this cause." The Association aims to attract more Algerians, so that communities work jointly to relieve the suffering of elderly cancer patients.
Life expectancy has significantly increased in Algeria during the last decades. The Association El Badr insists on the need to support those who suffer in silence, invisible from the public eyes – most often the elderly. The team has high expectations for WHO to lead the way in advising countries how to help the ageing with grave illnesses, such as cancer.
Working with young people
Each association has its own rhythm of evolving and maturing, testing and implementing new, better ways to fulfil their commitment. For El Badr, a great success story is the way it attracts young people.
"My son was 10 years old when I started the Association," says Dr Moussaoui. "Now he is 22 and has been bringing his friends, who bring other friends, and families of friends."
Young volunteers see inspiration in the honourable work of El Badr and often take the lead. The recently established El Badr Junior, the youth section of the Association, quickly became a platform for young people to work together with the elderly, as supporting old people affected by cancer turned out to be an inspiration for young and old alike. "The young ones are unstoppable," sighs Dr Moussaoui. "So we’ve learned never ever to say ‘no’ when they come up with new ideas."
The work of El Badr was recognized in October 2015 when WHO awarded the Association for its work on tobacco control. The city of Blida also financially supports the Association with donations to sustain its cancer patients home.
Looking ahead
"I wish we would have more capacity to address the core causes of cancer," Dr Moussaoui says. "We are aiming high. We plan a big awareness campaign, to sensitize populations about risk factors they should understand and eliminate."
"We also hope to be able to expand our work and start helping also children with cancer – this is our next big goal," he concludes. "On 1 June, we shall have a memorable moment on the World Children’s Day, to start the building of the first children’s oncological centre in Algeria." The funding from the His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Prize will support this endeavour.
