By Nazia Aleem
October is an extremely important month. You need to look at ways in which you can empower women to go for early diagnosis. That is essential to work out. The fact is 1 woman in every 9 will be diagnosed with breast cancer. And as scary as that statistic is, what is even more worrisome is that Pakistan holds one of the highest mortality rates because of late diagnosis of this disease.
So why is that? Why are we still not talking about it as we should? The stigma associated with this condition is definitely creating barriers and will be leading to several concerns which cannot be overlooked.
So now is the time for every person to play their part and create awareness on this condition. Especially doing so in your workplace and having all colleagues and the management involved. But the thing is, you can do so in really creative ways and that is what I will be sharing in this article. So lets start:
WEAR THE RIBBON
At the start of the month, hand out pink ribbons to everyone in your office. Encourage your employees to wear it daily as a reminder and to keep conversation opportunities open about breast health.
EMPOWER WOMEN IN WORKPLACE
Use Breast Cancer Awareness month to empower the women in your organization. You can conduct women’s exclusive yoga classes, fitness sessions, webinars, and more to encourage the women in your workplace to take charge of their health.You can also invite breast cancer survivors to share their experiences so that your employees get a better understanding of the battle against breast cancer and learn.
HOST A PINK FASHION SHOW
Invite friends and family to a fashion show run by employees hitting the “runway” in all pink clothing. Add in crazy hats, feather boas, and big sunglasses. Throughout the evening, the emcee can share facts and resources about breast cancer. This is going to be a major hit in no time!
CREATE A WELLNESS CAMPAIGN
Breast Cancer Awareness month can be a great opportunity to engage your employees in a health and wellness campaign. You can host a step challenge, walkathon, or marathon for your employees to increase breast cancer awareness and also improve their health. These when done with friends just becomes all the more interesting.
“LUNCH AND LEARN” WITH A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR
There is nothing better than to learn and see someone speak up on their story. Ask a breast cancer survivor to come and speak at a lunch and learn in your office. Employees will appreciate hearing a firsthand account of why prevention measures are so important. At the end, hand out resources and a list of local providers who offer mammograms at good discounts.
COLLECT SCARVES AND HATS
Do you have an office full of givers? Take up a collection of brand-new scarves and hats to deliver to a local chemo center. Since many women lose their hair during treatment, a bright scarf or hat will make her day. Better yet, if any of your office staff enjoys knitting or crocheting, ask them if they’d be willing to make some hats.
