Introducing the ESCA from Geneva, Switzerland

The ESCA Paddle for Cancer dragonboat festival is the annual cancer awareness raising and fundraising event organised by the English Speaking Cancer Association (ESCA) in Geneva.

Every year in the Geneva area alone, over 2000 people hear those terrifying words, “You have cancer”. An estimated 600 of them are a part of the international community in which English is the primary language. The english speaking cancer association was started to respond to the specific needs of these patients and their loved ones. Our trained volunteers, many of whom are cancer survivors, come from all corners of the globe with one thing in common: we communicate in English and we want to help.

Paddle for Cancer is the esca awareness and fund-raising campaign aimed at corporations, organisations and the general public and has been held annually since 2007. The goal is to encourage those living with cancer to live full and active lives. This is esca’s message of hope to people living with this disease and to those who love and support them.

Proceeds from the festival are used to fund the expansion and elaboration of esca and our on-going projects:

• Drop-in Centre with comprehensive library of books, pamphlets, CDs and videos on cancer issues

• Professional Counselling Services for cancer patients and their loved ones

• Continued training and supervision for esca peer supporters and volunteers, many of whom are cancer survivors themselves

• Awareness and information events held throughout the year

• October’s International Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities

We get our boats from Zurich so we’ve never had access to a dragonboat all year round. That is, until now. We now have a club nearby just over the border in France in Divonne and we work very closely with them with team trainings before our event which is always the first Sunday in September. We are now talking about getting a group similar to yours started in the spring that will meet and paddle together on a more regular basis. We certainly have enough people around who have been touched by cancer! During the festival each year, we do have a breast cancer survivor team called Bosom Pals Paddlers but it’s so hard to get them together during the year mainly because we had no boat for training. Fingers crossed we can get something going in 2016.

The english speaking cancer association (esca) is a registered non-profit association of volunteers providing emotional support, practical help and information in English to cancer patients, their carers and loved ones.

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