PRINCESS REEMA LAUNCHES HISTORIC BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOR SAUDI WOMEN10KSA WILL BRING 10

PRINCESS REEMA LAUNCHES HISTORIC BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOR SAUDI WOMEN10KSA WILL BRING 10,000 WOMEN TOGETHER IN RIYADH TO CLOSE HEALTH EDUCATION GAPS AND CHANGE THE BREAST CANCER CONVERSATION IN SAUDI ARABIA.“Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al-Saud has led a bold effort to support Saudi women’s entrance into the workforce, and now the CEO of Saudi Arabian luxury retailer Alfa Intl. is taking on critical national issues in women’s health. At a keynote conversation with Fast Company editor-in-chief Robert Safian at SXSW Interactive today, Princess Reema introduced 10KSA (for 10,000 in Saudi Arabia), a far-reaching breast cancer and health awareness campaign that will culminate in an all-day, all-women event on October 24 in Riyadh. Among many other activities and programs, the event will gather an estimated 10,000 women to form the world’s largest pink humanitarian ribbon on record. Funds raised from the event will go to support the Zahra Breast Cancer Association, of which Princess Reema is a founding board member.In Saudi Arabia, where breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women ages 20-59, social structures and stigmas significantly limit education and necessary action. While Saudi women in major cities are generally aware of the need for self-examination and mammograms, there is a need to constantly encourage and support these steps—and there is extensive work to be done for women in rural areas.“We take this dialogue to the rural areas and villages, where it is completely different, because we need kick up breast cancer as a mainstream dialogue, where there is no shame in discussing that part of the body,” she tells Fast Company. “We face a lot of societal issues where a woman doesn’t want to admit illness because she doesn’t want to be discarded and replaced by another women. A lot of times these women will have illnesses that are not just breast cancer, but many others, and they just keep persevering and not admitting pain, or admitting suffering.”Princess Reema says that there are additional challenges in a faith-based nation like Saudi Arabia, particularly outside the main cities. “The faith and belief that God will cure all is a absolutely wonderful and phenomenal belief, but you actually have to go to the doctor,” she says. “It’s really trying to get people to accept the fact that their health has to be something that’s a priority on their own personal checklist.”As a result, 10KSA will use the event as an opportunity to educate and organize around a variety of health issues in addition to breast cancer.”Read the full piece here -- source link
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