BurJuman has signed a formal partnership agreement with Al Jalila Foundation for the 2015 Safe & Sound breast cancer awareness campaign. The foundation, a global philanthropic organization dedicated to transforming lives through medical research and education, will be Safe & Sound’s official charity partner. The funds raised will be directed to breast cancer treatments and research in the UAE, generate further awareness and support patient care.
Launched by BurJuman in 1997 and now in its 19th year, Safe & Sound is one of the Middle East’s most prominent breast cancer awareness campaigns. Increasing Breast Cancer survival rate via early detection and treatment is the Campaign’s main message. Since its inception, Safe & Sound has reached over 25 million people and raised more than AED 2.5 million.
‘Safe & Sound’s charity partnership with Al Jalila Foundation is the natural next step in the evolution of this life-saving campaign,’ says Mr Majid Saif Al Ghurair, President of BurJuman, CEO of Al Ghurair Group. ‘By joining hands with Al Jalila Foundation, we share the same goal of educating, supporting and, ultimately, empowering women and their families in the fight against this devastating illness. We are confident that Al Jalila Foundation will direct funds raised to homegrown research and the worthiest of initiatives through their partnership with Brest Friends, and we hope that this relationship grows over time to have a positive and lasting effect on the region’s women faced with a breast cancer diagnosis.’
Founded in 2013 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Al Jalila Foundation is partnered with Brest Friends, Dubai’s only breast cancer support group, to raise awareness, fund research and support patients both during and after their breast cancer treatment. 70% of funds raised through this
alliance will go towards the A’awen (‘support’ in Arabic) program, which provides vital financial assistance to UAE-based patients. The remaining 30 % will be invested in breast cancer research conducted at Al Jalila Foundation Research Centre, the UAE’s first independent multi-disciplinary research facility scheduled to open in 2016. Alongside Brest Friends, the foundation also provides a platform for increased awareness of breast cancer issues through seminars and workshops, with a focus on patients’ need for support and friendship during their treatment.
‘Our partnership with Safe & Sound comes from a united vision – to save lives through education, early detection and access to treatment, and to improve the lives of those living with the disease,’ says HE Dr Raja Easa Saleh Al Gurg, Member of the Board of Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Al Jalila Foundation. ‘Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among the UAE’s female population, recent studies show the incidence of breast cancer has risen by 20% over the last six years. Funding regional research and local expertise is essential if we are to fully understand this disease and provide patients with the high level of medical care and support that they need to fight it.’
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