How often do you grit your teeth and wish there was something you could do to tackle female illiteracy and public harassment of women, or create awareness about one of the most common types of cancer in Indian women?
Come March, and hundreds of women from all walks of life will run for causes close to their hearts in the first ever half marathon for women in India. To be held in Mumbai, the ‘Stayfree DNA I Can Women’s Half Marathon’ is aimed at raising awareness about three main issues — education of the girl child, women’s safety in public places and cervical cancer. The registration proceeds will go towards funding the activities of our partnering NGOs working in these fields.
“The issues are big and often seem insurmountable but bigger things happen when like-minded women get together,” says social activist Shabnam Hashmi who runs Anhad, an NGO that provides educational and vocational opportunities to girl children in rural areas.
Gautam Dalal, vice president, marketing, DNA, says: “DNA is known to take up causes relevant to the city and its readers. We have a calendar of social initiatives that we keep working on. However, we realised that though we highlight many issues through regular editorial coverage like we did with the ‘My City, My Vote’, ‘Volume Kam Kar’, ‘Hygiene for Kitchens’ and the exceptionally well-received ‘UTI for women’ campaign, some issues needed a larger platform to rouse everyone into action.”
“A women’s marathon provided us with that platform,” Dalal adds. “It enables us to spread awareness about these vital issues, as well as highlight and support the work of NGOs in these fields. What better way to do this than to enlist the support of the whole city?”
In order to spread the spirit of ‘I Can’, the motto of the half-marathon, DNA is bringing on board women achievers from all walks of life who have faced adversities but have emerged successful.
This half marathon, that Stayfree Advanced is the presenting sponsor of, will not be about your timing or your stamina, it is about your ability to get out there and run for causes you feel strongly about.
Here’s why should you care.
Data obtained from the helpline of the Mumbai police shows that there’s been a 10-fold jump in the number of calls from women who are harassed on the city’s streets. As compared to breast cancer, there is very little awareness about cervical cancer in India that sees 1,34,000 new cases of this cancer every year. In Mumbai, 1,400 new cervical cancer cases are reported annually. On the other hand, activists and educationists point out that the female literacy figures, especially in rural areas are often dismal.
(With inputs from Rito Paul)
