The Rose Foundation Nepal organised a walkathon, ‘Together for Hope – Vol II’ on October 10 at Patan Durbar Square, Lalitpur.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and that is why the foundation decided to hold their second edition of the annual walkathon

promoting the concept of breast self-examination on Saturday. The walk commenced from Patan Durbar Square at 7am and ended at Ideal Model School, Jhamsikhel at 12 noon. The walk was followed by a short information session on breast cancer, its symptoms and treatment and a music festival, where artists such as Rohit John Chettri, Manoj Kumar KC and Jyovan Bhuju, among others, performed for the crowds gathered.

The Rose Foundation Nepal is a non-governmental organisation working towards raising awareness about different types of cancers, with the foundation mainly focusing on breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in developing countries (including Nepal, Cambodia and Rwanda). According to the WHO’s estimates more than 1.7 million new cases of breast cancer occurred among women worldwide in 2012. Many experts say that early detection can help save women’s lives. Women who lack awareness about breast examination techniques  often will let slip the first signs of breast cancer. Events such as the Rose Foundation’s walkathon are thus held all across the world to encourage women to detect early signs of the disease and hopefully have it nipped in the bud.