Pink Caravan - a breast cancer awareness initiative from Friends of Cancer Patients Society - will be marking October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a total of 48 corporate activities that have been designed to engage with customers and employees in the UAE. 

The initiative from the organisation, which works to promote early diagnosis of breast cancer and encourage regular self-examination, sees it collaborating with an array of authorities and private entities to spread a better understanding of the disease. Among the messages it will be reinforcing is that early detection is a significant factor in the successful treatment of breast cancer.

So far included as part of the month-long programme are 15 corporate wellness days, 15 external activations and 18 vendor support initiatives. The organisers say that they are keen to  keep up Pink Caravan’s drive of breast cancer awareness outside their annual springtime initiative that tours the UAE.

“Pink Caravan has become renowned for its annual spring ride across the seven emirates, which it has undertaken since 2011. Our aim is to provide free breast check-ups for men as well as women and to drive home the importance of regular monitoring to ensure early detection of the disease, which statistics show has a huge impact on treatment outcomes. Naturally, we need to keep this message out in the community beyond the parameters of the ride itself and there is no better time to do this than October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” said Reem BinKaram, Chairperson of the Higher Organising Committee of Pink Caravan.

Pink Caravan says that it still has capacity for all three of its Breast Cancer Awareness Month initiatives and that it looks forward to welcoming more government and private sector organisations onto the programme. Organisations booking a Breast Health Wellness Day  for their employees will receive sessions undertaken by Pink Caravan medical experts, which include informative lectures that educate about detecting physical changes in the body through self-examination. Special guest speakers at the events include Elaine Kelly, Dr. Khuloud Bajbouj and experts from The Clean Living Company and LifeWorks Foundation.

“As part of our corporate wellness days, private clinical examinations will be held for up to 50 persons a day conducted by a specialised team of Pink Caravan doctors and nurses, with additional health advice and wellbeing tips disseminated by professionals in their field. So far we have 15 organisations on board and would love to welcome more authorities, NGOs and corporations to become involved in what is an important health campaign. We also have space for entities to register for the external activations and the vendor support initiatives – all three are vitally important in raising awareness of breast cancer,” she added.

Companies and government bodies registered for the corporate wellness day include Fairmont the Palm, ADIB, Sharjah Economic Development, Tips & Toes (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), Dubai Properties, Philips, Paperfig, SLC, DEWA, SCFA, Carrefour and Sharjah Police.

Raising awareness about breast cancer through the external activations will be The Walk, Marasi, Pink Ladies Games, Atelier M Dinner, Canadian University of  Dubai, Define Body & Mind, Fairmont Hotel Dubai, The Galleria Mall, Sofitel the Palm, Aldar Properties, Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche, Nakheel, Three60, Zayed University and Al Qassimi Hospital & UHS Event.

Corporate entities having entered into a vendor support agreement to raise funds for Pink Caravan  include Bubu Barcelona, Tips and Toes, Katch – Le66, Gattacha, Shangra-Li Abu Dhabi, Jannah Hotel & Resorts, Sumo Sushi, Fairmont the Palm Dubai, Choithram, Pink Brigade, Yoga by Ashram, Nstyle, Paul Bakery, Acorn – Grand Millennium Al Wahda, Southern Sun Abu Dhabi and Wild and the Moon.

To date the Pink Caravan Ride has travelled 1,640 kilometres across the UAE’s seven emirates with almost 500 riders and more than 700 volunteers providing free clinical examinations to a total of 48,874 locals and residents at 578 clinics. The statistics reveal that 38,856 women and 9,643 men were seen in the clinics, something that the organisers say is a reflection of the campaign’s concerted efforts to raise awareness about the importance of regular medical examinations as a key tool for early detection and complete recovery from breast cancer.