 In a health care system where cancer public health is yet to find its due importance and where there are no national or state level cancer screening programmes with health insurance facilities only available to a fraction of the population, the role of voluntary organizations in running cancer primary health care services becomes vitally important.
The Cancer Foundation of India therefore engages in cancer awareness generation events regularly. The volunteers and staff of CFI extend their realm of work and reach out to different populations with the message of Cancer prevention. Participation in Health fairs, Book fairs, village melas, religious gatherings and festivals to disseminate information on cancer risk factors, importance of cancer screening and early detection of disease is a regular feature.
CFI has developed special modules for the corporate sector organizations where technical and highly professional employees are provided relevant information on the risk of cancer they are more likely to encounter in their life due to specific occupational demands and how to cope with it.
 
 1st CFI Foundation lecture by Prof. Harald zur Hausen, Nobel laureate in Medicine, 2008.
CFI has a strong commitment towards exchange of knowledge among professionals and also interested individuals. This is the forerunner of a series of Biennial Lectures by International experts followed by a national symposium on Oncology on the related subject. It is the first such dedicated lecture on Cancer in India.
Lecture by: Prof. Harald zur Hausen, DKFZ, Germany (Nobel laureate in Medicine, 2008)
Date: December 3, 2009
Venue: National Library, Kolkata
Release of Study Report & Screening of the film “Turning their Lives to Ashes” on Bidi workers of West Bengal
On behalf of: Voluntary Health Association of India, New Delhi
Period: February 9, 2009
Coordinator: Sutapa Biswas
Location: ICCR, Kolkata
Pink ribbon campaign for Breast cancer
In order to spread the message of regular breast check among the women of Kolkata CFI organized campaigns in shopping areas of the city. The pink ribbon drive was launched on the 1st of August, 2008 at the City Centre shopping mall followed by another drive at the Dakhinapan shopping complex on October 2, 2008 . The next stop for this drive is the Forum shopping mall on October 24, 2008 . This is a novel way to reach out to the women with the breast cancer prevention information which they would otherwise not have had access to.
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CFI Corporate Lectures
Knowledge is the power to bring about change. Keeping this in mind CFI has developed a series of Public Education lectures to reach out to the employees in the corporate sector. This is an attempt to reach out to people with authentic information on cancer. These lectures by experts are of 60 minutes each and are currently available in the following four topics - Preventing Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cancer & Tobacco, Detecting Cancer Early. Each lecture includes a film and an interactive session.
Empower To Protect
 Steel Authority of India (SAIL) – July 2008
World No Tobacco Day 2008
CFI observed the day by developing an exclusive radio FM campaign. On this day Red FM, a prominent FM station, popular with the youth played various messages throughout the day. Jingles and creative messages were specially developed for the occasion which was carried by all the RJs of Red FM.
Huntage
Treasure Hunt of Heritage buildings of Kolkata In support of Cancer Foundation of India April 6, 2008 Sunday.
Book exhibition at Rani Birla College, Kolkata
Corporate Lecture on Lifestyle Factors & Cancer Risk at Aegis BPO, Salt Lake
Lecture on Cancers of Women at Gurukul, Bandel
 Participation in Rural Health Fair
CFI participated in Swastha Mela in Diamond Harbour organized by CINI, January 13-15 2006. A large number of people benefited with the information on primary and secondary prevention of cancer.
Cancer Awareness for Corporate Employees
A gathering of the employees of TATA -AIG, a life insurance company was addressed on February 8, 2006 by staff and volunteers of CFI on how to cope with the increasing trend of cancer in India. The presentations were well supported with display of appropriate scientific data, facts & figures, pictures and posters.
World No Tobacco Day 2006
A campaign to educate people about Anti-tobacco Act 2003 of Govt. of India was launched on ‘World No Tobacco Day' at the Dakshinapan Shopping Complex premises on May 31, 2006.The programme included a photography exhibition by eminent photographers along with distribution of leaflets on Tobacco Control Laws.
World Environment Day 2006
CFI participated in a 3-day long programme on World Environment Day from June 3-5, 2006 at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum . The theme of the programme was to make the school going children aware of the effects as well as causes of tobacco. Innovative games and puzzles were created for the children to learn with fun and also express themselves. The programme was devised such that it could impart useful information to the participants and also gauge the level of cancer awareness among them.
National Cancer Awareness Week, Nov 7-11, 2006
 On completion of CFI's 4 years of community service on 7 th November 2006 , a week-long Free Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening Clinic for women was organized at different places of Kolkata (urban) and South 24 Parganas (rural).The programme was inaugurated by distinguished Social Worker Smt. Meera Bhattacharya and Honorable MP Sri. Md. Salim. On the same occasion the Bengali translation of “A Practical Manual on Visual Screening for Cervical Neoplasia” a publication of International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO), Lyon, France was officially released by Smt. Meera Bhattacharya
CFI at Health Fair
Health fair organized by the charitable organization OFFER near Dakshineshwar, Kolkata in April 2005. CFI had put up an enquiry and display counter at the fair where games on cancer were a major draw among the visitors.
A stall was put up during the Durga Puja on the invitation from Malay Sangha the organizers of a Puja in Jadavpur. It was an opportune time for CFI to reach out to people and spread the message of cancer early detection.
CFI also took part in a programme on ‘Self Awareness and Human Development' for Youth organized by AGNI (Association of Generation Next Intelligentsia), Amtala, 24 Parganas (S) on October 2, 2005 .
Photography Contest on Life-style and Cancer
The Photography Contest ‘Click Against Cancer' on the theme Life-style Factors & Cancer Risks, that was launched on the First Anniversary of CFI. A specially designed Poster along with the details about the contest and explanatory note on the theme had been sent to major cancer organizations, health NGOs and Photographic Clubs through out the country inviting their members for participation. The contest was open to all and carried a cash prize of Rs. 50,000/-. The entries received were judged by a panel of well-known professional photographers consisting of Raghu Rai, Nemai Ghosh and Suvendu Chatterjee (Drik India). The basic aim of the contest was to convey the message to the people and make them aware about lifestyle factors that provide risk of different cancers. This was perhaps the first contest of its kind ever held in India and undoubtedly a novel way to spread cancer awareness among people.
Book Mark Distribution at Kolkata Book Fair
Kolkata Book Fair is a good time to reach out to people. In order to promote and project the CFI's aims and objectives as well as the Helpline, we distributed nearly 26000 specially designed Bookmarks in English and Bengali among book lovers through several leading publishers and booksellers during the 2003 Book fair. The effort was extremely successful as indicated by a sudden spurt in the number of callers for the Cancer Helpline.
Billboard Display Campaign for popularization of Helpline
The Cancer Helpline was also popularised and projected through display on the unoccupied billboards courtesy of Pioneer Advertising co. throughout the Kolkata metropolitan area. It is a continuing feature and has contributed very positively in promoting CFI as well as the Cancer Helpline.
FM Radio Broadcast on World No Tobacco Day
On the World No Tobacco Day (May 31), strong messages against tobacco usage on behalf of CFI by celebrities were broadcast by three most popular FM Radio in Kolkata. Recorded messages against tobacco by celebrities, Usha Uthup (singer), Sabyasaachi Chakraborty (actor), Subhendu Chatterjee (actor), Dr. Saroj Gupta (Oncologist), Chuni Goswami (former National Football captain), Soumitro Roy (Singer-Bhoomi) and June Malia (Actress) were broadcast several times during the day. The messages also had a specially made jingle composed and sung by the pop/rock band Cactus.
Press Conference on the launch of CFI
 On the eve of the launch of the Foundation, a press conference was organized at the Press Club, Kolkata on November 6, 2002. Several founder members addressed the press explaining the objectives of CFI and its immediate agenda. With the representatives of almost all the major news agencies and daily news papers present along with a good number of citizens from all walks of life in Kolkata. The next day almost all newspapers of the city carried news on the launch of the organization and it received good coverage in TV and internet.
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