By Nondlela Maponya
In a campaign they call 'Pink Thursdays', the organisations hope to reach a wide range of South Africans with the aim of increasing breast cancer awareness.
On Thursday, 24 February, the organisations hosted a cocktail evening to announce their partnership, as well as to officially launch The Perfectly Pink Company South Africa. The aim of the new marriage is to raise R10-million in South Africa over the next five years for the Breast Health Foundation. The money will not be raised in a boring way but rather with a trendy angle, as fashion will be the main platform through which to raise money and create awareness. At the event, Perfectly Pink showcased some of the clothing items bearing the breast cancer symbol which will be sold to raise funds. A portion of the funds from all items sold - which also include homeware products- will go towards the BHF.
Speaker after speaker highlighted the importance of this campaign, saying the more people are aware, the more it will help promote early detection of the cancer parasite and the better for combating the disease. The other noteworthy factor for me about the speakers that night was that they spoke without inhibition, as shyness will do the fight against cancer no good. They all emphasised the fact that it is important for women not to be embarrassed to stand in front of the mirror and inspect their breasts.
With 1 500 women in South Africa dying of breast cancer every month, it’s important that awareness and fight against the disease intensifies. The stats were highlighted by Commercial Director of Perfectly Pink South Africa, Zubin Bhettay, who said the mortality rate in this country is amongst the highest in the world. Bhettay said breast cancer mortality in the UK has been reduced by 65% due to awareness driven by organisations such as Perfectly Pink. Under a shared brand identity, Perfectly Pink and Breast Health Foundation hope to achieve the same goal in South Africa.
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