Movimento contra o Linfoma / Movement Against Lymphoma
Currently, about one million people have lymphoma. However, this type of cancer of the lymphatic system - responsible for defending the body against infection - is still unknown. The main feature of the disease is swollen glands of the neck, armpits and groin. The self-examination and attention to body changes are key to notice these differences besides seeking a specialist as soon as possible. If the diagnosis is made early, the chances of cure are up to 85%. The Movement Against Lymphoma is a campaign to raise awareness about this cancer and its symptoms, which aims to mobilize the population and educate them about disease’s main symptoms to ensure early diagnosis, increasing the chances of cure.
About You
About You
First Name
Carolina
Last Name
Cohen
http://twitter.com/#!/abrale
Facebook Profile
About Your Organization
Organization Name
ABRALE - Associação Brasileira de Linfoma e Leucemia
Organization Website
Organization Phone
+55 11 31495190
Organization Address
Rua Pamplona, 518 - 5º andar, Jardim Paulista - São Paulo
Organization Country
Brazil, SP
Country where this project is creating social impact
Brazil, XX
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
Innovation
Entry Form title
Movimento contra o Linfoma / Movement Against Lymphoma
What change do you want to bring to the world?
Currently, about one million people have lymphoma. However, this type of cancer of the lymphatic system - responsible for defending the body against infection - is still unknown. The main feature of the disease is swollen glands of the neck, armpits and groin. The self-examination and attention to body changes are key to notice these differences besides seeking a specialist as soon as possible. If the diagnosis is made early, the chances of cure are up to 85%. The Movement Against Lymphoma is a campaign to raise awareness about this cancer and its symptoms, which aims to mobilize the population and educate them about disease’s main symptoms to ensure early diagnosis, increasing the chances of cure.
What are the primary activities of your project?
The awareness campaign conducted by ABRALE (Brazilian Association of Lymphoma and Leukemia) intendeds to alert the entire Brazilian population on the importance of self-examination and early diagnosis of cancer. Launched every year on September 15 - World Day of Lymphoma Awareness - the campaign performs several activities such as: - Distribution of materials with objective and attractive information and datas both on lymphoma and self-examination; -Broadcasting of audios, videos and photos about the issue in the media (print, radio, web) to reach 100% of the Brazilian population; - Capacity building (online and residency) with experts from multi-discipline on the subject - Creation of a website with informational content, for easy access and specific to the campaign; providing email support and free hotline by qualified experts to clarify possible doubts of the population; - Involvement of key actors (famous artists, influential politicians) to increase message’s dissemination.
What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?
In Brazil, 12,000 people are diagnosed with lymphoma each year, or more than one person every hour. This disease, however, is not sufficiently known by the population yet, then doesn’t get adequate attention and support of social actors. Once its incidence grows in our country every year, there is a great need to promote and innovative awareness on lymphomas, ensuring that everyone thakes the self-examination, pay attention to body changes and make regular appoitments with specialists to ensure the early diagnosis of this pathology. The Movement Against Lymphoma, when disseminates information and teaches people to recognize the main symptoms of the disease and provides an early diagnosis, it increases the chances of cure and promotes the self-care.
What stage is your project in?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.
The Movement Against Lymphoma reaches and impacts every state in Brazil, because the campaign is disseminated in several types of channels and and media. The information dissemination information is done via the internet, ABRALE website, marketing mailing sent to our constituecies, network partners’ websites, through the representatives of regional centers in 12 cities of Brazil, through ABRALE Mobile (visits in 50 public and private centers of treatment in Sao Paulo, made by health professionals of ABRALE) and through the work of the press office that coordinated the ABRALE team, triggers the release of the campaign for the most influential vehicles of communication country. The message spread through all these channels and campaign materials is always simple and easy to understand, so that 100% of the population can understand regardless of their region or level of education.
Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project
Merula Steagall is bacharel in Business Administration from PUC (Catholic University) and postgraduate in Third Sector Management from FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas). She is president at ABRALE (Brazilian Association of Lymphoma and Leukemia) and is board member of international organizations such as Lymphoma Coalition, England. Merula has a son who went through the diagnosis of lymphoma. She participates actively, for years, of negotiations with the government to improve health policy in Brazil and mobilizes private sector partners to provide the best treatment for patients with leukemia and lymphoma in the country. Watching the increased incidence of lymphoma in our country each year, she has noted that the need of a campaign to raise awareness about the disease, as well as mobilize the search for the best available treatment in Brazil. Based on this, a campaign and the Movement against lymphoma are established in order to disseminate information on lymphomas, ensuring that everyone takes the self-examination, pay attention body changes and visit regularly a specialist to ensure a possible early diagnosis on this pathology, as well as the quality of life of Brazilians.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured
The campaign Movement against lymphoma has strong electronic outreach, it can be measured by the number of people who have attended, enjoyed, shared and / or logged the hot site / Facebook Movement Against Lymphoma. Another used indicator is news clipping, in which all information about the campaign featured through the media are searched, we can have an estimate of each vehicle that results in positive impact the population. Last year (2010), it was estimated that over 300.000 people were engaged in the campaign by such means. Since ABRALE conducts an annual research with lymphoma newly diagnosed patients, we can say that the comparison of the results in the long-term will become a new important parameter of success, since indicates the amount of people who knew the lymphoma before being diagnosed with the disease. Data provided by INCA (National Cancer Institute of Brazil) may also be indicators of extreme importance in the near future, since they compile data on the decrease or increase in the number of deaths resulting from its disease (which may be related to the knowledge and early diagnosis).
How many people have been impacted by your project?
More than 10,000
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
More than 10,000
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Over the next six months, we intend to include new artists in the campaign, the Movement Against Lymphoma keep included in the media and to be able to double the number of people engaged in the cause.
Task 1
Maintaining the dissemination of the campaign Movement against lymphoma, the media and social networks, disseminating information and warning everyone about the importance of early diagnosis.
Task 2
Look for new artists to engage in the campaign.
Task 3
Raise numbers and indicators of success on the disease and the campaign in order to keep it more informative, updated interesting and attractive to the audience.
Identify your 12-month impact milestone
The campaign is re-launched around September 15, World Day of lymphoma awareness. Within 12 months, we aim to recycle and expand the movement, broadening it even more.
Task 1
Consolidate indicators on the lymphoma and the campaign, in order to improve the campaign, keeping it more informative, updated, interesting and attractive to the audience.
Task 2
Disseminate information in the media and social networks, as well as establishing new partnerships in order to expand the movement against lymphoma in Brazil even more.
Task 3
Mobilize civil society to stand for better and available treatment of lymphoma in public health across the country
How will your project evolve over the next three years?
In the upcoming years, a progressive increase of number of people who have contact with the campaign is expected and that they are aware of the importance of self-examination and attention to body changes to ensure their health. It is also expected, through information dissemination, to mobilize society for a better and available treatment of lymphoma for all patients in Brazil. Furthermore to awareness raising and mobilizing society in general, we hope training a larger number of doctors and health professionals to enable them to know more about the appropriate treatments and to know how to diagnose lymphoma regardless of their specialty.
Sustainability
What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?
The flagship of the campaign Movement against the lymphoma is the dissemination of information enabling individuals, families and communities to get to know more about prevention, early detection and diagnosis. Thus, the major barriers include the difficulty in establishing partnerships to support the dissemination and financing within the campaign in itself. We overcome such barriers through prior strategic planning, contacting stakeholders in advance in order to update them so they can can offer us a proper support.
Tell us about your partnerships
The establishment of partnerships is essential to run this campaign, since we need funding as well as media support to spread the word to a massive public to raise awareness about lymphoma and its symptoms. The campaign information are disseminated spontaneously and in a sustainable manner, in order to reach and impact positively more people each day.
Current annual budget of project, in US dollars
$1,000‐$10,000
Explain your selections
The campaign Movement against lymphoma is created and led by ABRALE - Brazilian Association of Lymphoma and Leukemia. Founded in 2002 by Merula Steagall, ABRALE represents holders of onco-hematology (Lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma and myelodysplasia). Its work relies on four pillars: patient support, education, information and public policy advocacy. The organization counts on with scientific committee composed of 33 physicians, besides nurses, psychologists, nutritionists, dentists and occupational therapists, whose give guidance to the almost 30 thousand members. ABRALE provides medical support, free legal and psychological support, as well as advocates for treatment improvement with Government and disseminate information through campaigns and lectures. The campaign Movement against lymphoma is an example of a campaign that is created, led and implemented by the organization. Once ABRALE depends on financial resource coming from individuals and corporate donations, it can engage these actors as project supporters/benefectors in indirect level.
How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?
The campaign Movement against lymphoma is an extremely important example of a campaign on health by promoting public awareness about a type of cancer that victimizes about 186,000 people per year worldwide. The campaign has had exceptional results dissemination and people engagement over the last two years, and the next step will be to attempt to involve major brands in the cause to develop products of the Movement Against Lymphoma. The products’ income will be donated to the campaign and will support patients with lymphoma in Brazil.
Challenges
Which barriers to health and well-being does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.
PRIMARY
Lack of access to targeted health information and education
SECONDARY
Limited diagnosis/detection of diseases
TERTIARY
Limited access to preventative tools or resources
Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.
The incidence of lymphoma is increasing In Brazil. There is an estimated 12,000 new cases annually and 4,000 deaths resulting from the disease in the same period. Though, this type of cancer and its self-examination is very little known by the population. If it’s detected early and treated properly, there are chances of cure up to 85%. In this sense, the campaign for awareness of lymphoma - to teach people to recognize the main symptoms of the disease and ensure early diagnosis, increases the chances of cure - it is essential to promote the prevention, detection and early diagnosis in order to empower individuals, families and communities about the importance of paying attention to their body changes, as well as to seek a doctor regularly.
How are you growing the impact of your organization or initiative?
Please select up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.
PRIMARY
Grown geographic reach: Within host country
SECONDARY
Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices
TERTIARY
Leveraged technology
Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.
Campaign Movement against lymphoma has been increasing dramatically, achieving placement in several medias - print, online and television. We have been doing efforts to enhance the campaign message, turning it into an information of high importance to the audiences, aiming to promote public awareness of this disease and its symptoms.
Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)
Government, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies.
If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?
It is possible to make the people and government agencies pay more attention to this important cause through increasing dissemination of lymphoma in the media. ABRALE conducts researches with patients, and nurtures studies on new drugs and effective treatments for lymphoma. The president of the association sends the information and data to government, and fights for improvements in this area of health in Brazil. Partnering with other associations is key, since joining forces can take the information to an even greater number of people. The financial donation that ABRALE receives from companies guarantees the production of promotional materials of the campaign.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| movimento_linfoma.jpg | 249.26 KB |
