BurJuman, who have played a pivotal role in driving the nation’s largest and most comprehensive Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, today announced their ten year involvement in the Safe & Sound Campaign.
Over the past decade, BurJuman has been actively raising awareness, reaching thousands of people across the Emirates to spread the message of hope, and encourage them to take the necessary steps in the fight against Breast Cancer. BurJuman uniquely adopted various methods to extend and assert this initiative. Using various platforms, BurJuman utilized a combination of major events like the Survivor Fashion Show and the Pink Walkathon, as well as media campaigns to create the numerous outreach programmes which have ensured the active participation of women of all nationalities and ages.
What started out as a monthly initiative has now converted to an annual campaign, with the focus remaining to keep critical messaging timely and visible. Numerous volunteers and organizations surpassing 100 from various industry sectors have played a key role in driving the campaign in the community. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) encourages companies to consider the interests of society, and this voluntary obligation is something BurJuman has embraced thoroughly.
New initiatives have been planned for 2007 to ensure the campaign strengthens and increases momentum. BurJuman is proud to announce the contributions made by Welcare World, a longstanding partner and welcomes Red Crescent Society of UAE, Dubai Health Authority, Barclays, Marina Exotic Interiors and Memon Investments, as they lend their invaluable strengths as program partners to further solidify this cause. Existing partner Hertz continues to be a key member of the programme.
BurJuman is also delighted to announce the formation of a new Steering Committee, which involves partners Welcare World, Red Crescent Society of UAE and BurJuman, as well as active community members Ms. Sharla Musabih and Ms. Susan Tabler. The Safe and Sound Steering Committee will specifically oversee the raising of funds and management and allocation of resources for various purposes including patient care and diagnostic aids.
Through the BurJuman's Safe & Sound Breast Cancer Awareness Programme, the fundamental aim is to increase local awareness, and encourage and motivate women of all ages and ethnicities to engage in regular medical check-ups and further testing including mammographies and clinical consultations.
According to Sabina Khandwani, head of PR and marketing, BurJuman, "We hope to give women across the UAE the opportunity to learn more about Breast Cancer and empower them with information that could one day be instrumental in saving their lives". She went on to say, "Our fundamental goal remains to break the 'Breast Cancer' taboo and get a greater number of Emirati women involved in the campaign. We invite you to join us in this fight against Breast Cancer and help us spread the message of awareness and prevention".
This awareness campaign will be officially launched on Monday 1 October, where survivors, partners, sponsors and spectators alike are invited to a launch event in BurJuman. “Empowering people is at the heart of our initiative, to that end, it’s important to recognize the amount of sponsor and partner input that we’ve received in the course of promoting this campaign,” said Ms. Khandwani.
In celebration of ten successful years of Breast Cancer awareness, BurJuman will see a wider, fuller range of events than the previous years, including the ‘Pink Walkathon’, a walk for charity on 26 October. Up to 5,000 women, men and children of all ages and fitness levels are expected to take part in this initiative by sporting the Safe and Sound t-shirts and caps. Leading the 3.6 kilometer walk, Breast Cancer survivors will participate in the walk as a statement of empowerment, treatment, success and hope.
Another highlight of the Safe and Sound Breast Cancer Awareness Programme is the unveiling of the Pledge Wall, a statement of on-going commitment to finding a cure for this disease. Adorned with pink ribbons, Breast Cancer survivors will be the first to place the ribbons on the Wall as a symbol of their journey and cause. The Wall will then be available to the public to donate their ribbons and show their support. This is in addition to the survivors’ Fashion Show scheduled in mid-October, where Breast Cancer survivors will model creations of the various fashion tenants from BurJuman. The objective of this show is to demonstrate the courage and positive attitude of the survivors who have successfully fought through their battle with cancer, and provide a tremendous message of hope and strength to the community.
Numerous other events scheduled in October include the Harley Davidson Parade, Pink Bazaar, Cycling Challenge, Musical and children’s events that will raise awareness and much needed funds for Breast Cancer.
Sabina Khandwani added, “We feel that Breast Cancer cannot be fought by medicine alone because it requires the overall involvement of society to understand the causes and know the treatments. There is a social and moral aspect tied to this cause and we believe that this campaign will keep growing with the wonderful support of this community.”
Photo Caption: Conference (from left to right)
ٌRepresentatives from Welcare World, Dubai Health Authority, Red Crescent Society of UAE, Barclays, BurJuman, Marina Exotic Home Interiors, Memon Investments, Ms. Sharla Musabih, Ms. Susan Tabler.
