I was not really happy with my last post on CSR. I had not given any examples from the local marketplace. I was too concerned about the length of the post and thought it will become reader-unfriendly. Well, come to think of it there aren’t many big excitements in CSR here in Sri Lanka, besides the “Women Go Beyond” program of MAS Holdings; others have not been able to make a real difference at ground level – the decisive success factor of any CSR initiative.
For some strange stupid reason some companies tend to follow others when there are countless unexplored opportunities in the areas of energy conservation, public health and ecology. For example there are far too many companies focusing on HIV in Sri Lanka. There is an opportunity for a consultancy firm to specialize in CSR to assist our Corporates in managing their CSR programs.
Cervical Cancer Awareness is one such opportunity which has still not been identified. When I first heard about Cervical Cancer I paid little attention as it seemed more to do with women & people hardly spoke about it. The men were only carrying the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) but it was not causing them any illness. However I recognized the importance of this after I randomly asked a few of my female colleagues about the disease. Among the 12 people only two had heard of Cervical Cancer but they were completely clueless about how they could get infected or the complications arising from it leave alone treatment and prevention. This small sample of women who are better educated with higher disposable income, much exposed to the media, work & party hard, in no way represents the majority of Sri Lankan women. Now you can guess the status of the majority of women living in the out of Colombo area, given the fact that rural folk are far more sexually active than people living in city areas.
The low level of awareness is dangerous in many ways. According to the WHO HPV recently became the No. 1 killer cancer over taking breast cancer, now accounting for one victim every two minutes. Latest research has also revealed that men too could get affected by the HPV. Cervical Cancer is a sexually transmitted disease, 100% curable if detected in the early stages.
Here’s why Cervical Cancer Awareness is a good candidate for your CSR initiative;
- Approximately 500,000 cases are identified every year around the world, almost 80% recorded from developing countries.
- It’s a fresh topic on the bloc and bound to attract media attention.
- Women are commercially more important today than ever and this trend will continue. Approximately 70% of all brands target women as a part of their primary target audience. No company will be able to survive without selling to women in future.
- Wearing condoms may still not prevent you from getting infected – this alone is sufficient to get all media attention as it’s against common beliefs (that STDs could be prevented by wearing condoms)
- Given the low level of awareness, it gives the opportunity to penetrate many social & community circles – from schools, work places to places of worship
- Wide Scope: Cervical Cancer is not just another disease, there are many social complexities associated like stigma & discrimination.
- Immortal enemy - fighting against ‘human temptation’ for sure is both sustainable and interesting!
- In Sri Lanka, there are around 1,100 new cases per year
- Dr. Chithramalee De Silva of Family Health Bureau quotes only 57,948 pap smears taken at The Well Woman Clinics (around 400 Island-wide) in 2006, approximately 5000 more than 2005, still less than 1% of sexually active women in Sri Lanka (Females 16+ all Island)
If you like to know more about cervical cancer click this link www.cervicalcancercampaign.org for more information about the situation in Sri Lanka please read the weekly epidemiological report www.epid.gov.lk/pdf/wer2007/VOL%2034%20NO%2010%20English.pdf
In my opinion many companies will qualify to take on this project, as long as consuming their products and services does not cause any cancer or ill health in any way.
Picture: Sunday times
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