SHARJAH, (Pakistan Point News - 04th Dec, 2018) Pink Caravan Ride, PCR, the UAE’s most popular breast cancer awareness campaign organised by the Friend of Cancer Patients, FOCP, a non-profit society, is calling on horse riders from across the country to saddle up to be part of their seven-day ride across the seven emirates is set to take place from 23rd February, 2019, to 1st March, 2019.
Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies in the UAE, and the FOCP has been organising this ride annually to heighten people’s knowledge about the importance of the role of self-examination and regular screenings in early detection, which increases survival rates to as high as 98 percent.
The campaign returns every year to reinforce these messages and offer members of the community free medical advice, as well as ultrasounds and mammogram screenings.
The Higher Organising Committee of the PCR is looking to join hands with 150 men and women across all nationalities with equestrian experience and passion for social and community work. Registrations are open and accessible through http://www.pinkcaravan.ae/register/index.php until 10th February.
Riders who are keen to register must be above 16 years of age and have sufficient equestrian experience to ride for approximately 20 kilometres, km, every day. They will be required to take proficiency and technical tests, which will determine their fitness to participate.
Badr Al Juaidi, Pink Caravan Ride manager, commented, "We believe volunteering is the strongest pillar of this campaign. It is an irreplaceable tool that gets the important message of breast cancer to all segments of the UAE community. The more volunteers that sign up for our cause, the more impactful and far-reaching our message of protecting ourselves from cancer will be. We call on the equestrian community in the UAE to channel their passion for supporting cancer patients into strengthening breast cancer prevention and treatment advocacy by helping us educate our sisters and brothers around the country on the importance of early detection."
A minimum donation of AED500 is applicable for every registration, which will go into capacity building and supporting those affected by cancer.
To date, the Pink Caravan Ride has travelled over 1,715km across the seven emirates with more than 569 riders and 770 plus volunteers spending over 280,000 hours of volunteering hours which is equivalent to 32 years. A total of 684 medical clinics have provided free early breast cancer detection examinations for 56,667 people, including 10,261 men, valued at AED28.3 million. The Pink Caravan Ride has also visited 87 schools delivering educational sessions and lectures.
