The goal of ARK CIC, formerly known as Markkazi is to support the sustainable development, wellbeing and living standards of people at every possible opportunity.
During our time as Markkazi, we undertook a breast cancer awareness campaign, whereby we took the initiative to get involved with the Egyptian community, where we raised awareness to women in impoverished areas in Egypt of the early signs of breast cancer and embarked on the journey against this long-lasting battle.
With the mission and social responsibility to our communities in mind, we organised campaigns for women in underprivileged areas of all ages, specifically those who were over the age of 45 as they were more at risk of developing breast cancer. Our goals throughout the campaign were clear; to provide comprehensive education to women about breast cancer, how to spot the signs and symptoms, how to perform a breast self-exam, to improve outcomes for women diagnosed with breast cancer by directing them to a starter to specialised hospitals, and to increase awareness of early detection of breast cancer, which is vital in treating and improving the odds of surviving the battle.
Together with the Baheya Foundation, one of the largest breast cancer treatment foundations in Egypt, we managed to reach 100 underprivileged women of all ages, who were in urgent need of this information, to ease their fears and concerns about any symptoms and to provide knowledge on what they should do if those symptoms arose.
The results of this campaign were incredible and far exceeded our initial expectations. Our campaign was effective, raised awareness and increased knowledge of breast cancer and how women could spot the early signs. Before the campaign, most women felt that they did not know the early detection of breast cancer and their symptoms, but thanks to our campaign, more women felt that they were well informed about the early signs and symptoms of breast cancer, whilst others felt that the information provided throughout the campaign needed to be repeated more often, which highlighted the need to continue educating and providing varied education to fight this everlasting battle.
According to the feedback, we were their ‘beacon of light’ that they were waiting for, to enlighten them about the importance of early detection and reducing the stigma of breast cancer.
We were proud and privileged to take part in an incredible campaign that helped those in need and ultimately, to save lives.
