The Karaiskakio Foundation as a nonprofit organization has recorded a remarkable presence in both the humanitarian and scientific fields in Cyprus and has evolved into an internationally recognized Bone Marrow Donors Registry that represents the biggest per capita Donor Registry worldwide. An important objective of the Foundation is the constant and reliable scientific support of patients with haematological malignancies and other related diseases, creating a relationship of shared trust and cooperation based on mutual respect and altruism.
The Foundation actively pursues research and development aiming at constantly upgrading and expanding its scientific base and services, introducing new technology and scientific knowledge. This is achieved through close cooperation with collaborators both in Cyprus and abroad.
The ambitious work of Karaiskakio Foundation would not have become a reality without for the continued support of the government and major donors and benefactors, as well as the selfless involvement and participation of the volunteer bone marrow donors.
Setting a dynamic vision «for a world without leukemia», the greatest challenge for Karaiskakio Foundation is to create a modern Regional Paramedical Centre of Excellence, which will provide specialized laboratory support to patients with leukemia, covering the areas of diagnosis, disease monitoring and finding donors for transplantation.
Through “Partnership for Life” the social network collaboration, the Foundation invites both the business world and all other organized social groups, to contribute each one in its own way, towards strengthening its objectives and social work, by adopting the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility in their strategy and action.
In addition to the scientific support to patients, Karaiskakio Foundation promises that it will always maintain an open, warm, efficient and promising approach, offering services worthy of the expectations of those in need, by pursuing its vision … “for a world without leukemia”!
Dr. Popi Nicolaidou Kanari
The Karaiskakio Foundation has received funding under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism in the Programming Period 2009-2014, for upgrading part of its infrastructure, advancement of expertise on the subject, promotion of public awareness and enhancement the bone marrow donor registry in Cyprus. Aiming to improve public health and reduce health inequalities, through the proposed project, the Karaiskakio Foundation has enhanced its local health infrastructure with the establishment of a state-of-the art, specialised Childhood Cancer Diagnostic Laboratory which provides diagnostic support to the paediatric and other cancer patients.
The establishment of the Childhood Cancer Diagnostic Laboratory contributes towards:
• Technological progress in the diagnostic field and better understanding of cancer pathology, improvement of patient health and reduction of health inequalities
• Integrated and comprehensive analysis at the early stage of disease identification and classification, management, and treatment
• Structured, systematic and comprehensive laboratory support to patients, hence minimizing the time needed for diagnosis
• Opportunities to young scientists to excel in the field of cancer, invest in people through education
• Increase Social Awareness on cancer.
A parallel objective of the project is the enhancement of the Bone Marrow Donor Registry with new volunteer donors. The challenge is to find the means to attract and to cultivate the feeling of altruism in young adults, through modern means of communication (e.g., apps, social media, self-service stations, short videos etc).
The project further enhances the collaboration of the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot Communities in Cyprus.
The Karaiskakio Foundation is already engaged in bi-communal collaboration through the Cyprus Bone Marrow Donor Registry, the greatest in significance and size bi-communal project since 1974. The Kemal Saracoglu Association (a Turkish Cypriot NGO) actively supports the Karaiskakio Foundation in contacting donors and serves as a contact point to help Turkish Cypriot patients and physicians to access the services of the Foundation. Furthermore, the Karaiskakio Foundation is providing both diagnostic and donor search services free of charge to all leukaemia and cancer patients from both the Greek and the Turkish Cypriot community.