This year the Australian Business Awards is being held in conjunction with the Safe and Sound breast cancer campaign created by BurJuman. We felt that this was a really worthwhile cause and something the community should be supporting.

For over 10 years, BurJuman has been actively raising awareness, reaching thousands of people across the Emirates to spread the message of hope, and encourage them to take the necessary steps in the fight against Breast Cancer. BurJuman uniquely adopted various platforms to extend and assert this initiative through a combination of major and numerous outreach programs which have ensured the active participation of women of all nationalities and ages.

Educating women about the risk factors of breast cancer and encouraging them to engage in early detection routine can go a long way towards ensuring healthy lives. Through BurJuman's Safe & Sound Breast Cancer Awareness Programme, the fundamental aim has been to increase local awareness, and encourage and motivate women of all ages and ethnicities to engage in regular medical check-ups and further testing including mammographies and clinical consultations.

Safe and Sound leaflets have been created, providing a detailed guide to monthly self-examination procedures to Beat Cancer in both English and Arabic. These leaflets are distributed in BurJuman, clinics, hospitals, schools, universities, hotels, restaurants, government and businesses.

While it took nearly a decade to break the taboo barrier associated with the conservative Middle Eastern culture, the general outcome to Beat Cancer has been welcoming and the campaign paved way for openness and understanding, offering an education of the consequences behind this cancer to minimize its impact on society.

Safe and Sound has hosted many events and features during its campaign, such as:

• Survivor Fashion Show - a runway show featuring breast cancer survivors modeling the latest fashions, taking on the theme of 'Fashion Fights Cancer'.


• Pink Days - engaged children by using them as ambassadors to promote the message of awareness and early detection, fueling them with knowledge at their young age.


• Harley Drive - The Harley Owner's Group in Dubai (H.O.G.) supported this cause by riding their Harleys to the East Coast and back, sporting Safe and Sound t-shirts and spreading this message.


• Pink Fleet - Two double-decker buses and five cars were driven across the roads of the UAE throughout the entire month of October to spread the message of awareness and prevention.


• Pledge Wall - a statement of on-going commitment to finding a cure for this disease. Adorned with pink ribbons, Breast Cancer survivors were the first to place the ribbons on the Wall as a symbol of their journey and cause.


• Pink Walkathon - a walk for charity held towards the end of October as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Thousands of women, men and children of all ages and fitness levels take part in this initiative by sporting the Safe and Sound t-shirts and caps.

BurJuman has recognised that breast cancer cannot be fought by medicine alone as it requires the overall involvement of society to understand the causes and know the treatments. The social and moral aspect tied to this cancer and campaign has kept this program growing, all because of the support from the community and successful outreach programs that spoke their language.

Their Website http://www.safeandsound.ae/index1.html.