Geek Express joins the fight against cancer with Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP)

Technological advancements have significantly changed many industries, including healthcare, from anesthetics and antibiotics to magnetic resonance imaging scanners (MRIs) and chemotherapy. Future technology advancements will continue to revolutionize healthcare, but one factor that will remain constant behind such innovations is the human element.

We at Geek Express, believe in the power of technology, and in how it can help support the healthcare industry, especially with cancer patients. We take pride in engaging young minds in this respect, to prompt them to think and find potential practical solutions for society’s problems.

This is why we have collaborated with Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP), a non-profit organization, founded in 1999 under the directives and patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi. Since its inception, Friends of Cancer Patients has been successfully assisting cancer patients, their families and caregivers, in overcoming a wide range of obstacles on the journey toward healing and providing hope in the most trying situations. By sustaining quality, developing constantly, and seeking chances to offer much-needed help, they intend to maintain their unwavering commitment to the community.

Through this collaboration, Friends of Cancer Patients launched an app development competition for Sharjah school students. During the sessions conducted by Geek Express, students learned the essentials of coding, AI, UI/UX design, and many more future-proof skills. They built real-life apps centered around health, wellness, and mental health, and that are directly related to cancer patients’ journeys. They published the apps on the App Store and Google Play Store. 

Ana-vation App Development Competition

Under the umbrella of the Ana initiative, Ana-vation — a combination of the words "Ana" and "innovation" — is a one-of-a-kind initiative that raises awareness through entertaining and educational activities. One such example is the development of an innovative app that aims to help cancer patients during their journey, by providing them with assistance, comfort, and entertainment.

The competition spanned five months; it started in September 2022, and ended in January 2023 when the final ceremony was held and the winners were announced. There were around 150 participants aged between 11 and 18 that met five times a week and created exceptional projects.

The kick-off!

Geek Express offered participating students 8 hours of training on the app development platform to prepare them for the competition. Participants learned the essentials of coding including loops, conditionals, and event triggers. They also learned the concepts and applications behind UI/UX, and how to publish and deploy apps on the Google Play Store, and the App Store.

The journey

The Geek Express team oversaw the progress of the participants and supported them with the creation of the final projects. Following that, the team guided each group of three students as they worked for four weeks on their final apps.

Final ceremony

The Ana-vation App Development Competition final ceremony was held on the 24th of January at Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park. 65+ students from six different schools in Sharjah, as well as VIPs and school board members from Sharjah were in attendance.
During the event, Geek Express offered a technological seminar around the power of technology in healthcare.
The top 10 teams presented their apps in front of a jury of renowned experts.
All participants in the competition received an approved certificate, but only the top 3 winners from each age group earned gold medals and won laptops (from ASUS Middle East).
These select few will also be joining the Ana-vation upcoming (incubator) program.

The winners are as follows:

Ages 11-14:

• BEST CODE went to Ambassador School with "Defeat Cancer"

• BEST DESIGN went to Ambassador School with "Can" 

• BEST IDEA went to Ambassador School with "CancerMate"

Ages 15-17:

• BEST CODE went to ASPAM with "Cancsaver"

• BEST DESIGN went to ASPAM with "Med Reminder"

• BEST IDEA went to ASCS with "Cancerunity"

The world is what we make it

Geek Express believes in the values of Friends of Cancer Patients, to inspire hope in the lives of patients, families, donors, and the community. We have decided to join their fight to transform lives and provide the support that people desperately need, by championing tech education for children who can use this knowledge to change the future. Lastly, in alignment with FOCP, we hope that by instilling a love of technology in our youth, they will be able to channel this powerful knowledge into life-enhancing endeavors.

Visit our Instagram page for more details about the students' apps.