BurJuman Safe & Sound Campiagn 2015 supporting Breast Cancer Awareness

September 13, 2015. Dubai, UAE: BurJuman has announced the start of the 2015 Safe & Sound breast cancer awareness campaign on October 1, 2015. Now in its 19th year, Safe & Sound is one of the largest and most comprehensive breast cancer campaigns in the Middle East. Featuring in-mall and external initiatives throughout October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month, the campaign focuses on empowering women and their families in the fight against breast cancer. Since its launch in 1997, Safe & Sound has championed a message of survival through early detection, reaching over 25 million people and raising over AED2.5 million for patient care and increased awareness of this devastating disease.

A key element of this year’s campaign is the introduction of the new Safe & Sound app. The app will replace the traditional Safe & Sound Walkathon and will be available to subscribers both in and outside the UAE, starting from October. Users will be able to run and walk, tracking their progress at the same time. Participants are invited to donate money directly to Al Jalila Foundation and Brest Friends via the app’s built in payment gateway. Not just limited to individuals, users can walk or donate on behalf of an organisation, which allows corporations to support Safe & Sound as part of their CSR initiatives. If the total distance walked through the app reaches the 50,000km milestone in 2015, BurJuman has pledged to donate a further AED100,000 to the cause.

‘Since its inception in 1997, the Safe & Sound campaign has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about breast cancer among the UAE community,’ says Mr Leigh Regan, COO of BurJuman. ‘Now in its 19th year, BurJuman is incredibly proud to have been a part of an initiative that has touched the lives of so many women and their loved ones. As the campaign evolves with the development of the new Safe & Sound app, we are aiming to reach even more individuals with our message of survival through education and early detection.'

For 2015, BurJuman has joined forces with charity partner Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation which is dedicated to saving lives through medical education and research. Founded in 2013 by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Al Jalila Foundation is partnered with Brest Friends, Dubai’s only breast cancer support group. Funds raised by Al Jalila Foundation and Brest Friends will go directly towards life-saving medical research, awareness, treatment and support for patients with breast cancer in the UAE.

‘Al Jalila Foundation is fully committed to transforming the lives of women and their families affected by breast cancer,’ says Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama CEO of Al Jalila Foundation. ‘According to recent studies the incidence of breast cancer has risen by 20 per cent and women here are being diagnosed at a younger age than in the West. Having said that, very little research on this issue is done locally - instead, we are obliged to rely on resourcing from abroad, a
considerably more costly option. By partnering with BurJuman’s Safe & Sound campaign, we hope to raise funds for local breast cancer research, as well as increasing awareness of the disease and supporting women as they undergo treatment.’

‘Dealing with any form of cancer is one of the hardest challenges that patients and their families can experience,’ says Dr Houriya Kazim, Founder and President of Brest Friends. ‘A nurturing and supportive network can really help to minimise the psychological side effects of the disease. Brest Friends works alongside Al Jalila Foundation to assist breast cancer patients in a number of important ways - from improving awareness through education, to emotional and
financial support.’

‘It is so important to be proactive in the fight against breast cancer,’ says Brest Friends’ Vice Chairperson Linda Berlot, a Safe & Sound ambassador and breast cancer survivor. ‘Through our partnership with Safe & Sound and Al Jalila Foundation, we hope to spread awareness of this disease and the importance of early detection through self-examination and regular health checks. A breast cancer diagnosis does not just affect the individual, it affects her whole family.
A community-wide campaign such Safe & Sound 2015 will ultimately save lives through education, support and empowerment.’

As in previous years, uniCare Medical Centre joins the campaign as medical partner, and will be running a number of activities during Breast Cancer Awareness month, such as giving away 10,000 coupons for free check ups, and unlimited discounted mammograms at uniCare clinics during October.