Sharjah: The eighth edition of the Pink Caravan Ride will be launched today under the patronage of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
The Pink Caravan is a pan-UAE breast cancer awareness initiative that highlights the importance of early detection through regular checkups. It was started in 2011 by the charity Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP),
The official ceremony will take place at the Sharjah Equestrian and Racing Club, and will see other prominent local, regional and international figures in attendance. The campaign this year will be a weeklong affair, which will begin in Sharjah tomorrow and map the seven emirates, offering free breast screenings, medical examinations and expert consultations at fixed clinics in every emirate, before concluding in Abu Dhabi on March 6.
A big milestone for the campaign after putting in seven years of concerted efforts has been reached with the launch of the Dh15 million mobile mammography unit, the first-of-its-kind in the world, which will offer specialised imaging services for breast and cervical cancer free of cost to people not only during the seven-day ride, but throughout the year.
The eighth edition of the Pink Caravan will also see the participation of the largest number of equestrians in the history of the event since its inception, with 230 horse riders, including 150 Emiratis, 65 from the GCC and greater Arab region and 15 from Europe.
Reem Bin Karam, Head of the Pink Caravan’s Higher Steering Committee, said: “Every journey that is undertaken to pursue a good cause is dotted with challenges. The Pink Caravan Ride’s efforts to empower people with breast cancer awareness and the knowledge of how if detected early, 98 per cent malignancies of the breast are completely curable, wouldn’t have been able to touch close to 50,000 lives in seven years if community participation and the spirit of volunteerism weren’t at their very best. Our goal this year is to conduct successful screenings for at least 8,000 people.”
