Nine and a half decades; that is how long the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) has been showing up for people whose lives have been touched by cancer.

And throughout every year, a quietly powerful force has kept the organisation moving: its volunteers.

From hospital corridors to community halls, from virtual administrative desks to outdoor screening events, Cansa volunteers are the connective tissue between the organisation’s mission and the people it serves.

ALSO READ: Be a Cansa volunteer

Leaders, educators, comforters

To honour that contribution, Cansa dedicates a day each July to celebrating these individuals. On Saturday 25 July, volunteers from across the country will come together at regional events filled with entertainment, heartfelt tributes and well-earned recognition.

This year’s theme, Leading with Love, Serving with Purpose, captures something essential about the volunteers. Some came to Cansa after their own cancer diagnosis, others arrived after supporting a loved one through treatment and many simply could not stand the idea of someone facing cancer without a hand to hold.

Whatever brought them, they stayed – and in doing so, became vital to everything the organisation does.

“Volunteers don’t simply fill gaps in our capacity. They lead. They educate. They comfort. They extend our reach into places and spaces that our staff could never cover alone. When we call them our backbone, we mean it without reservation,” said Carien Hamman, volunteer programme manager at Cansa.

The volunteers contribute in remarkable ways. They sit with patients during difficult moments, run Information and Support Desks at public hospitals, facilitate support groups, spread awareness about cancer prevention and early detection, and assist with fundraising, screening events and even digital communications.

Part of Cansa’s story

As cancer diagnoses continue to climb across South Africa, each volunteer represents a lifeline the organisation could not otherwise offer.

The personal dimension of volunteering often proves as transformative as the impact volunteers make. “I have learned about cancers I once knew nothing about and developed a much deeper understanding of the challenges patients face,” Tshepo Pita, a volunteer from Bloemfontein, said.

“It allows me to keep doing what matters most to me connecting with and educating my community.”

Rudolph Scharneck from the Western Cape finds meaning in the smallest gestures. “A fundraiser, a talk, a support group meeting – each one has the power to change someone’s entire world. Cansa has brought remarkable people into my life and taught me more about gratitude than I expected.”

For Gauteng-based cervical cancer survivor Winnie Ndlovu, volunteering has been an exercise in mutual growth. “I came to support others, but I leave every interaction having grown myself – in confidence, in compassion and in my understanding of what it means to face this disease.”

As the organisation marks 95 years of service this year, it does so knowing the road ahead is shared. Every hour given, every awareness conversation started, every family supported brings a cancer-free future closer.

“Volunteers have helped write Cansa’s story,” says Hamman. “The next chapter could begin with you.”

To find out more or apply to volunteer, visit: cansa.org.za/become-a-volunteer.

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