Co-coordinators: Arafa Ahmed (YES 2021-2022 placed by AFS in Toledo, OH) and Sunehri Sahel Shamam (YES 2021-2022 placed by American Councils in Joshua, TX)

Supervisors: Faruque Ratul (YES 2009-2010 placed by AYUSA in Laveen, AZ), Raisona Alam (YES 2018-2019 placed by AYUSA in Gilmer, TX), and Mardia Hoque (YES 2019-2020 placed in by AFS in Seattle, WA)

According to a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 12,764 Bangladeshi women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, and 6,884 women lose their lives to it. If breast cancer is detected early, however, there's a 90% possibility of full recovery with appropriate and complete treatment.

There are countless such diseases that are curable only if they were detected and treated early, including breast cancer, anemia, and PCOS. Due to the lack of awareness and taboos associated with these diseases, they are often left undiagnosed until they become fatal. Due to the stigma associated with diseases that affect mostly women, they tend to suffer in silence. 

To create awareness and end the stigma around breast cancer, anemia, and PCOS, alumni organization YES Alumni Bangladesh collaborated with the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations Bangladesh (IFMSA Bangladesh) to organize an awareness project called Project Pink Out. It was coordinated by Arafa Ahmed ‘22 and Sunehri Sahel ‘22, who were inspired by Breast Cancer Awareness Month initiatives in the U.S. during their exchange year. They worked tirelessly to make their first project a huge success, and I was fortunate to be one of the project’s supervisors and be part of this wonderful initiative.

Pink Out took place in two renowned schools in Chittagong, William Carey Academy (WCA) and Chittagong Grammar School (CGS), November 23-24, 2022. A total of 340 students participated in the sessions, which were conducted by doctors from IFMSA Bangladesh who discussed breast cancer, anemia, and PCOS, their symptoms, treatment, and the stigma around them. The sessions were conducted for both boys and girls to make sure boys know that breast cancer and anemia do not only affect women, but can happen to them as well. Additionally, we wanted boys to realize what women with PCOS suffer from so that they become more empathetic and understanding about these issues. 

Pink Out would not have been successful if not for the hard work of all the team members. Despite having a very tight schedule with their studies and school, the coordinators, the designing team, and the research team worked day and night to execute their dream project. There were challenges, including finding schools that will allow the event to take place during exams, but it was the commitment and zeal of these recently-returned alumni that helped to overcome all the hurdles. It was absolutely an honor for me to be part of this amazing team and to guide them throughout the whole journey.

When asked about the coordinators’ experience in this project, Sunehri said the following:

“Seeing Project Pink Out come to life after weeks of hard work and dedication was truly astounding. I’m forever thankful to the YES alumni team for being with us every step of the way, it would have been impossible to pull this event off without them. I am proud that through this event, we reached so many students and made a meaningful impact on their lives by raising awareness on these important issues.”

We also asked some of the participants about their opinion on the awareness session and these are some of the responses we received:

“Project Pink Out was a very needed and helpful session for the students at WCA. We got to learn about a very important topic which is unfortunately not discussed widely. They also got rid of the misconception that breast cancer only happens to females whereas males also stand at risk for it.” - Afique Uddin, Class 12, WCA

“The session that I was part of was very essential to me. I never realized how much I needed to know about breast cancer, PCOS, and anemia until then. One thing that stood out to me was that the event was more than just raising awareness or explaining the basics — it was about taking an initiative.” - Rafa Khan, Class 12, WCA.

Seeing so many positive responses made me realize that we need more of these initiatives to destigmatize diseases that usually target women and to encourage the early intervention of these health conditions before they become life-threatening. Maybe through more of these endeavors, many women who are suffering from these diseases in silence will finally seek treatment. Perhaps people will also stop stigmatizing infertility, chemotherapy, mastectomy, and other aspects of these diseases. 

I believe creating awareness about issues that matter is the first step to bringing  change in this world, and women’s health is one of them. As Michelle Obama has said, “Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women."