Art Saves Lives is Raising Funds for 57357 Children's Cancer Hospital

As Children’s Cancer Hospital 57357 - the largest hospital of its kind in Egypt, which charitably treats children for free - struggles through a massive drop in donations, filmmaker Sarah Amer and designer Engi Jaouda went to visit the charitable institution to see what they can do. When they saw what was at stake, they took it on themselves to kickstart ‘Art Saves Lives’, a movement to champion the healing power of art and storytelling.

‘Art Saves Lives’ is both a fundraising initiative and a digital platform dedicated to spotlighting the stories and artworks of children cancer patients, in order to give a voice to current and former 57357 patients.

“We want to revolutionize the narrative surrounding cancer patients, especially children, help them tell their stories and find joy amidst tragedy,” Sarah Amer tells CairoScene. “Art is a lifeline. I was sick for years, and I only began to heal when I finished writing my screenplay.”

During their tour through the hospital into its arts and crafts workshop, Amer’s gaze fell upon a yellow handcrafted pottery plate and was instantly drawn to it. She spent a month trying to reach the artist behind it. Finally, she found Menna, an engineering student and former cancer patient at 57357. Inspired by Menna’s personal journey, Amer and Jaouda decided to lend a platform for other cancer patients like her.

Amer and Jaouda’s digital platform quickly became a space for cancer patients and their diverse artistic creations, from illustrations to musical works. In the future, the duo hopes to extend their initiative to other charitable initiatives across Egypt, host workshops led by prominent Egyptian artists, and auction art pieces created by children cancer patients themselves.