AMANC-a short history

The Mexican Association of Aid to Children with Cancer, I.A.P. (AMANC), was founded by Mrs. Guadalupe Alejandre in 1982 as a result of a very painful personal experience of having a child with cancer who unfortunately died in 1985. Mrs. Alejandre herself told me that the decision to found this institution originated a few weeks after her son was diagnosed with leukemia, at the moment she saw at the National Pediatrics Institute scenes as I show you now. Parents who had the courage of traveling from remote states of the Mexican republic (8, 10 and even 14 or more hours away), bringing a very sick child, found themselves in a large city, totally abandoned. With no place to sleep and to wash themselves, and with nothing to eat, simply because they had no money. Mrs. Alejandre compared her personal circumstances to those of these parents. Like them, she had a child with cancer. But she had the economic resources to fight for his life, and she had important family support. On the contrary, these parents, far from home, in a hostile and unknown city, had no more wealth than their children - now menaced by cancer. So she decided to do something immediately. She started by sharing her little son's drugs with a little girl. She talked to other parents of a child with cancer, who did have resources, and tried to get them involved in this initial aid. So it was, by forgetting "I suffer" and thinking about "others suffering" that AMANC was born, the organization which I so proudly represent at this important congress. Almost 10 years after AMANC's foundation, Mrs. Alejandre was able to open the doors of the present Shelter in Mexico City.
Bu what I am telling you in a few words, has meant a life of multiple efforts, and above all, a life of love for the child with cancer. And truly, AMANC's children are adorable. 

Guidelines for founding an institution like AMANC

I would like to give you some basic guidelines for the establishment of an organization like AMANC. 
How it is founded. How it expands. How it is entertained. 
Without fear of being mistaken, I can tell you that from AMANC's foundation to its culmination, love is the center of gravity, the rector, and the engine that keeps it active, vital. This is the mystic of every service institution, and it is the mystic if AMANC. However, we have to be realistic. To give true support to those who come to us, we need to have the ideals in heaven, but the feet standing firmly on the ground. A difficult but not impossible balance.

Legal entity

The first step to open an institution is its legal constitution. Upon AMANC's foundation, it was constituted under the regime known in Mexico as Civil Association. In 1989, it was constituted as an Institution of Private Assistence. This change of regime is very appropriate because the Board of the Private Assistance is the govern organism that governs, counsels, and supervises all the NGO's activities. To have an official endorsement like this board is a very important element to create trust in the donors about the fact that what they donate is applied to the objectives of each constitution.
It is absolutely indispensible to have accounting support, and authorized and professional legal support. To audit from the beginning. To fulfill all formalities to obtain authorization to issue tax-deductible receipts for cash-donations, and inventory deductible letters for donations of products. 
An institution must be constituted before Public Notary at an authorized Notary's Office, and it must have a Board of Trustees. It needs a chairman, a secretary, a treasurer, and five committee members. These people, elected either by the founder or by the benefactors, must be of a known moral quality.

Financial resources

These actions are very important to open the doors to the community's generosity and trust. And that trust is the key and the most valuable donation we can receive. If we earn this trust with verifiable deeds, we shall receive generous donations. And every institution needs them. Specially at the beginning one must knock on many doors to constitute a financial patrimony. It must be one of an institution's priority objectives to be self-financing, without interfering in the main objectives. In AMANC's case, a trust has been formed by knocking on many doors, and although it is true that some opened, others remained closed. In spite of everything we have faithfully followed our slogan: "To give Hope a Place". And we have always thanked the doors that opened for us, because Mexico indeed is a very generous country. 

Objectives

AMANC's main objective is to offer integral support to the child with cancer and his relatives.
This support consists of:
- Supply of chemotherapy with all the oncological drugs each child requires for the period of treatment.
- Lodging at the Shelter for the children and one accompanying relative per child.
- Bed clothes, towels, and personal toilletries. 
- Dining room service where three daily meals are served to an average of 50 people.
- Transportation from the Shelter to the hospital and vice versa.
- Psychological support to children, parents and AMANC's employees.
- Educational support in general through the program "Health Starts at Home".
- Assistence support with prosthesis, crutches, wheel chairs, etc.
- Recreational support with international trips, camps and shows at the Shelter and outside.
- Support for research: a bone marrow transplantation program;
a unit of programmable freezing;
a scholarship for laboratory research;
Amanc's award to the best clinical research work, granted each three years.

Volunteers

In every institution volunteers are indispensable, because they play an important role for the work's diffusion, for fundraising, and specially for the love and direct contact with the children and the parents. To form a group of volunteers demands the creation of regulations, as an initial basis. It is convenient to receive counseling from another institution when setting up this document. These guidelines can be very helpful to motivate people to belong to the Volunteers' group.

Health Starts at Home

This program goes beyond the support of children with cancer and his family. Through it, we make efforts to inform mothers of children supported by AMANC about a wide variety of subjects of health in general, and on childhood cancer in particular. On their turn, the mothers spread this knowledge in their own families and communities, thus becoming health promotors. As an incentive to their work they receive a small economic support. This program means the opportunity of a healthy life for the whole family. This program is also supported by the Health Sector of the Mexican Government and by the CAMEX Foundation, Vancouver, Canada.

Advertising

A good diffusion begins with a good logotype. A logo is forever, so it has to be chosen carefully. From our AMANC logo we started our diffusion campaigns on different media: press, magazines, radio and television. 
We printed this logo on posters. 
We publish a quarterly information bulletin and have our information brochures. We have our radio and television campaings, very powerful and very costly media, so it is necessary to try to obtain free publicity.
The advertising of an institution of social service must be worthy, professional, and never ostentatious. The child with cancer must be treated with maximum respect, without sensasionalism. To show positive images is an incentive to the donor. We focus on life, not on death and commiseration. The most important message is that the child with cancer can be saved if he gets help in time.

Conclusion

Everything I mentioned before can be changed or adapted. The only thing that does not change, that is a constant factor, is love, surrender, and commiment to the ideal of an institution, in our case to children with cancer. Being here with you, at this congress, is a vital proof of that love and of that commitment. I sincerely congratulate you, and in AMANC we join to your efforts for the benefit of that suffering childhood that deserves a door that is open to hope, and a heart that is willing to help.
On behalf of Amanc, thank you very much.