The Season of the Moustache

For 30 days in the month formerly known as November, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas around the world will be rallying to raise funds and awareness for men’s health.

“Men are facing a health crisis that is not being talked about. We have to make a stand and stop men dying too young, before their time,” says Garron Gsell, Chief Executive and Founder of the Men’s Foundation, which manages the Movember campaign in South Africa under license from the Movember Foundation.

The Movember Foundation is the leading global men’s health charity, funding over 1,200 men’s health projects in 21 countries worldwide, focusing on men’s health initiatives, suicide prevention, and testicular and prostate cancer.

Movember is ranked 49th out of the top 500 NGOS around the world, and is the largest non-governmental funder of health programmes for men globally.

To date, Movember has raised over R6 billion worldwide to deliver innovative, breakthrough research and support programmes that enable men to live happier, healthier, and longer lives.

Since 2010, over R25 million has been donated to the Cancer Association of South Africa through local Movember efforts. These funds have been invested in a Patient Navigation Programme, Cancer Cohort Programme, and an on-line patient support centre.

Three quarters of suicides are men. Poor mental health leads to half a million men taking their own life every year – that is one every minute; in South Africa, male suicide accounts for approximately 18 deaths a day. For every suicide there are many more people who attempt suicide every year. Suicide in the second leading cause of death amongst 15- to 29-year-olds.

Testicular cancer rates have doubled in the last 50 years in South Africa – prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death.

Currently, South African men have a life expectancy seven years shorter than that of women. The Men’s Foundation aims to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25% by 2030. “We have a long way to go until no man dies of these diseases. Our sons, partners, fathers, brothers, and friends are facing these challenges and we need your help,” says Gsell.

This year’s Movember campaign encourages everyone to be the difference in a man’s life, whether it is your own health or that of your father, partner, brother, or friend, by encouraging men to start the conversation, get tested, and become more physically active.

Mo Bros are encouraged to start

1 Movember clean shaven. Grow throughout the month, and get some serious funds behind the men who need it most.

Mo Sistas, make a difference in the lives of the men in your life! Get behind the Mo Bros in your life, adopt a Mo Bro in the office, help organise the teams, auction off their moustaches, or get a little creative and organise an event. Anything to attract attention and raise funds while having fun.

Mo Bros and Mo Sistas, do something good for you while doing something great for men’s health. Move this Movember, and you can be the difference in a man’s life. Walk, run, cycle, swim, or row. A little or a lot. Solo or in a team. It is not about being the fittest or going the furthest – it is about having fun, doing good, and raising funds along the way.

In South Africa, the Men’s Foundation is developing their own programmes as well as collaborating with their beneficiary partners and the Prostate Cancer Foundation to identify, develop, and fund men’s survivorship and research programmes that meet the global objectives of the Movember Foundation.

For more information, please visit www.za.movember.com. Follow Movember on social media at @Movemberrsa on Twitter and Movembersouthafrica on Facebook.