Sharjah: Registration for the annual Pink Caravan Ride, a pan-UAE breast cancer awareness initiative by the Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP), is now open for riders who wish to join the 10-day journey on horseback.
Themed ‘Seven Years … For Seven Emirates’, the 2017 Pink Caravan Ride will begin from Sharjah on March 7 to raise community awareness about the early detection of breast cancer and dispel misconceptions about the disease.
The committee will select about 150 applicants who meet the event criteria, most notably highly experienced riders. Potential participants should be over 16 years and have a passion for voluntary work. Interested riders can register online via www.pinkcaravan.ae until January 20, 2017. It is open to both male and female riders of all nationalities.
“The riders form one of the key pillars of the Pink Caravan, along with the medical clinics, charity ambassadors and educational events. They have been instrumental in promoting awareness of breast cancer and encouraging community members to undergo free examinations,” said Reem BinKaram, head of the Pink Caravan Ride’s Events Committee.
Over the past six years, more than 350 riders and 500 volunteers at the Pink Caravan Ride have travelled over 1,420 kilometres across the seven emirates, with 410 medical clinics. The clinics have offered free early breast cancer detection examinations for 41,391 people, including 8,526 men. The Pink Caravan Ride has also visited 87 schools delivering educational sessions and lectures about the importance of early detection of breast cancer. It also attracted many volunteers — from all segments of society — who became ambassadors to represent the ride and promote it.
