Pink Caravan concludes its pan-UAE journey at Zayed University

The ceremony was also attended by HE Michael Corbin Ambassador of the United States to the United Arab Emirate and a number of dignitaries and senior officials as well as Pink Caravan ambassadors and various media representatives.

The 3rd annual Pink Caravan Ride received great government and public support. The 10-day ride started on February 2, with a total of 150 riders completing a 323 km horseback journey across the UAE, during which the accompanying medical teams provided early breast cancer detection tests to over 5000 individuals, and raised awareness about the importance of early detection and self examination through a series of awareness and training sessions. The awareness campaign was the largest of its kind in the UAE and the entire region.

At the beginning of the ceremony, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, HE Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, and US ambassador to the UAE HE Michael Corbin extended their greetings and expressed their admiration for the outstanding efforts they exerted and great results they achieved in this year's journey to the Pink Caravan's riders, medical team, and officials. They, accompanied by HE Ameera BinKaram, President of the Board of Trustees and Founding Member of Friends of Cancer Patients, visited the Pink Caravan's mobile clinic at the University and viewed the Pink Caravan Golden Hands Exhibition, which exhibits the hand prints an moulds of a number of Sheikhs, senior officials, public figures, and celebrities who have significantly supported the Pink Caravan's journey and contributed to its success.

A number of officials and VIPs present at the ceremony commended the significant role of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and his wife Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Founder and Royal Patron of the Friends of Cancer Patients charitable organisation (FoCP) who were behind the launch of this great initiative three years ago. The Pink Caravan campaign shows the leaders' care for the people of the Emirates and was extremely well received by citizens and expatriates, enabling the initiative achieve commendable and praiseworthy results and establish a cross-border reputation. The turnout and positive feedback have encouraged the Pink Caravan's officials to continue their annual tradition following excellent results in terms of diminishing the impact of breast cancer.

Speaking on the occasion, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said, "The Pink Caravan has become an important national activity that, worthy of this great support, interest, and respect in the light of its excellent ground level results. The public support for the riders and medical teams was noticeable. We are delighted with these results and congratulate the Pink Caravan's officials for this great achievement and express our gratitude to HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah for his pivotal role is supporting the Pink Caravan's efforts. We affirm that the UAE, under the leadership of His Highness the President and his brothers; Members of the Supreme council and Rulers of the Emirates, has been always proactive in serving the interests of its citizens to enable them play their role in the country's continued economic and social development."

HE Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, said, "We are thrilled with the Pink Caravan's journey across the UAE to spread awareness and the knowledge that breast cancer can be beaten. They have borne the fruits of their sincere and dedicated work, which aims to serve the interests of our country. We congratulate all who contributed to this initiative and want to thank . Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, in particular for her efforts, wise guidance, and support of the Pink Caravan that have been instrumental to the Pink Caravan's success. They have the right to be proud of the achievements that have been made in such a short span of time, as the campaign has become an example to follow in terms of strengthening solidarity between people and raising the bar in healthcare services, in line with the unlimited support and out of a strong sense of responsibility. We highly appreciate their outstanding efforts."

US ambassador to the UAE HE Michael Corbin remarked, "As American ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, I am extremely pleased and honoured to see the Pink Caravan which so capably meet the important challenge of raising consciousness among women in this vital health area. The US is very proud to be a leader in the export of healthcare in terms of services, technology and patient care, which is why I made sure to attend the start of this year's Pink Caravan in Sharjah, and am honoured to be here for the culmination of their journey Zayed University in Abu Dhabi."

The Pink Caravan's team was highly admired and appreciated by the government and private organisations as well as by the public, who praised the tremendous efforts being exerted by the Pink Caravan's teams to provide breast cancer clinical examinations to all applicants and the team's eagerness to provide their services with highest level of professionalism, efficiency, and compassion when dealing with applicants. These have significantly contributed to breaking the barriers surrounding the disease and encouraging greater response to early detection examination.

HE Ameera BinKaram, President of Board of Trustees and Founding Member of Friends of Cancer Patients, said, "We are extremely thrilled as we conclude the activities of the Pink Caravan's third annual ride, after 10 days that passed so quickly but yielded remarkable results. One of the most important factors in our success was the government, public, and media support which significantly contributed to these positive results. It is our duty to extend thanks and gratitude to all who supported us. We extend our heartfelt thanks to His Highness Ruler of Sharjah and his wife Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi. We extend thanks to Sharjah Islamic Bank, our partner and official sponsor, whose continued support has made this success possible."

BinKaram added, "During this last campaign, we focused our efforts on dispelling myths and misconceptions about breast cancer. We believe that the Pink Caravan has made huge strides in this direction and achieved several goals such as an increasing turnout of applicants for examination from both women and men. Our progress in this regard shows that we are steadily approaching the achievement of all our goals."

The Pink Caravan also seeks to raise Dhs15m to acquire mobile clinic, fully equipped with modern screening technologies, that will enable the campaign to provide breast cancer screening services to largest number of applicants possible, both women and men, across the UAE and throughout the year. Acquisition of the high-tech mobile clinic will help the Pink Caravan to more efficiently carry out its strategic goal of fighting breast cancer in the UAE.