# 15 February 2020 > Source: https://decaohz.org/en/news/15-fevruari-2020.html > 15 February 2020 is International Childhood Cancer Day Go Gold! Why do we want to raise awareness? This year the idea… 11 February 2020 ![Photo for the article](https://decaohz.org/assets/img/news/67_media.jpg) ![Photo for the article](https://decaohz.org/assets/img/news/68_media.jpg) ### 15 February 2020 is International Childhood Cancer Day **Go Gold!** ### Why do we want to raise awareness? **This year the idea is for children to take part in initiatives that raise awareness of, and sensitivity towards, the children and families fighting the illness.** Children and pupils can help raise awareness and can also benefit from this activity, which will improve their written and spoken communication skills and create a positive atmosphere in class. ### What is the message we want to convey? **Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death from disease in children.** **Every day, almost 700 children around the world fall ill with it.** The aim is to raise awareness and understanding of the illness and its effects, and to motivate children and pupils to find the time and a way to remember that there are children who are not lucky enough to be healthy and go to school, because they are fighting their hard battle with the illness. Everyone knows the date 14 February — Valentine’s Day. But **how many people know that 15 February is International Childhood Cancer Day?** Just as we think of our parents’ love on St Valentine’s Day, **this campaign would help us remember this day as** **a day on which we show our love for our children, brothers and sisters, friends and all the children who are fighting cancer.** ### Why is gold the symbol of support for children with cancer? The colour gold symbolises how precious children really are and how resilient these little heroes are. When it is worked, gold passes through fire to become stronger, just as children do during treatment. Unlike the other colours of awareness ribbons, which each refer to one specific disease, the gold ribbon is a symbol of support for many types of childhood cancer. **For more information:** [http://www.internationalchildhoodcancerday.org/Act-Now.html](http://www.internationalchildhoodcancerday.org/Act-Now.html) ![Photo for the article](https://decaohz.org/assets/img/news/70_media.jpg) **WHAT CAN WE DO — We suggest ways of marking the day in schools so that we reach more children, who will empathise with the problems of children with cancer and develop skills of acceptance and empathy towards them** **1. Wear:** Encourage colour coding to show solidarity. Pupils and parents can make stickers, gold ribbons and temporary tattoos. Pupils can wear gold T-shirts or T-shirts with a gold motif, gold headbands and hair clips, pin on gold ribbons or paint gold ribbons on their cheeks, and decorate their trainers, bike helmets, T-shirts, bags and other gadgets. **Inspire your friends to do the same!** **2. Share online:** a. Share photos (on social media) that spread the symbol of the gold ribbon, and put them in the ICCD frame. b. Share the videos of the songs [“We Are One”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBzuYXCEDis) and [“Shtom si s men”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7qKBcmgHfo) („Щом си с мен“ — “As long as you are with me”) And always add the hashtags **#ChildhoodCancerAwareness** **#schools4kidswithcancer** **#GoGold2020** **#schoolawareness** **#WeAreOne** **#CCIEurope** **3. Organise a walk around the school** for 15 February, offering different fun tasks, games or challenges (the pupils themselves can come up with the best ideas). This can also happen in September, which is International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. ### Primary and pre-school classes **1. Wear:** Encourage colour coding to show solidarity. Pupils and parents can make stickers, gold ribbons and temporary tattoos. Pupils can wear gold T-shirts or T-shirts with a gold motif, gold headbands and hair clips, pin on gold ribbons or paint gold ribbons on their cheeks, and decorate their trainers, bike helmets, T-shirts, bags and other gadgets. **2. Paint pictures** dedicated to the children in hospital, and use gold **3. Talk about it Online:** a. Parents can share photos (on social media) that spread the symbol of the gold ribbon, placed in the ICCD frame. b. They can share the videos of the songs “We Are One” and “Shtom si s men” And always add the hashtags **#ChildhoodCancerAwareness** **#schools4kidswithcancer** **#GoGold2020** **#schoolawareness** **#WeAreOne** **#CCIEurope** ### School management **4. Spread the initiative** through all media channels, and share the campaign’s symbols ***… and after 15 February comes SEPTEMBER — awareness month*** September is the month when pupils go back to school, with new hopes and expectations, recharged after the summer holidays. But for dozens of children fighting the illness, September is another month of struggle, a month of treatment in hospital. For their parents and little brothers and sisters, it is a month in which reality hits them once again. More ideas for marking September 2020 are still to be suggested. *If you have any questions, you can contact us at ohz_deca@abv.bg.* [← All news](https://decaohz.org/en/news.html) [Support the cause](https://decaohz.org/en/how-to-help.html)