The Run for woman power

With a week left for the much-anticipated Stayfree DNA I Can Women’s Half Marathon, DNA invited the partnering NGOs and experts from the respective fields for a tête-à-tête.

Founders, members and volunteers of Anhad, Akanksha, We The People Foundation (WTPF), Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) and Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) spoke about the causes that the women’s half marathon supports.

Anhad and Akanksha work towards education of girls in rural areas and urban slums respectively. WTPF focuses on creating awareness about women’s safety in public places across Mumbai. CPAA and TMH are known for their work in the field of cancer.

Gynaecologists and educationists were also a part of the panel and shared their views on the three causes that the half marathon is taking up — education of the girl child, public safety of women and cervical cancer awareness.

The panelists agreed that most urban women would relate to the causes and there was a need for creating more awareness, especially for cervical cancer which is the most common form of cancer in Indian women and also the most easy to diagnose and treat.

Sexual harassment on the streets is another issue that urban Indian women are familiar with but are at a loss when it comes to ways of tackling it, or curbing the menace. Education for the girl child is equally important since it would help in building a better society.

“Attracting like-minded people to support a cause and raising funds is a challenge for NGOs and an event like the Stayfree DNA I Can Women’s Half Marathon is a great platform to reach out to donors and volunteers,” said Shabnam Hashmi, founder of Anhad.