The Rotary Club of Adliya would like to thank everyone for their invaluable help and support. In particular, the RCA recognises the Muharraq Governate for their ready assistance and support, the Muharraq Municipality for the provision of the Park, the Ministry of Interior and Traffic Directorate for the provision of security and traffic personnel and for their assistance with traffic at the venue, the American Mission Hospital for the provision of an ambulance, the RCSI for their provision of the event’s marshals, and of course the excellent ladies from Think Pink Bahrain who are an inspiration and for their unceasing enthusiasm and support for the project.

This film is produced by Gulf Broadcast free of charge as part of their CSR and community engagement effort.

Ms. Eman Mansoor Oun is the leader of the Bahrain Polytechnic Volunters Society and a long standing member of AIESEC. She is an active individual who has initiated, organized and implemented a large number of community service projects and has been an inspiration to other young people like herself.

Ms. Eman Mansoor Oun, Ms. Tahera Shakeeb and Mr. Mohammed Al-Aradi – all of whom are Business students at the Bahrain Polytechnic – will attend this important leadership and skills building conference in Dubai thanks to the Rotary Club of Adliya funding their trip and expenses for the duration of the conference.

“The Rotary Club of Adliya deeply believes in empowering the youth of Bahrain to reach their potential,” Mahmood Al-Yousif, the President of the Rotary Club of Adliya said, “we find that the Youth Leadership Summit and the Talent Conference which takes place this year in Dubai are perfect vehicles for that development. Therefore, we opted to sponsor three bright and committed young individuals to attend the event and have every confidence that they will benefit from the experience.”

The Youth Leadership Summit has partnered with Knowledge Village in Dubai where the event will take place. The Summit provides an avenue for global, regional and national business leaders from different organizations to converse with proactive youth. About 300 youth are expected to attend and take part in a number of workshops and panel discussions, in addition various talks and presentations. Participants will be form the four Gulf States Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and UAE.

Eminent dignitaries and national and international media houses are expected to attend, all of whom will seek to bridge the gap on a multitude of issues like Human Capital Development, CSR and Environmental Sustainability as well as harnessing innovation and youth empowerment.

About AIESEC
AIESEC is the world’s largest youth organisation, bringing together over 40,000 university students across 110 countries. Their vast network connects high-potential people interested in leadership and management and provides them the opportunity to develop their skills in a practical environment.
Since its establishment in 2006, AIESEC Bahrain is now flourishing with over 80 members in two local chapters and provides 14 leadership roles each year to its members.

The first Rotary Club of Adliya’s RCA Pink Walkathon was a resounding success with over 500 individuals participating and with a total of BD3,604 raised from participation fees and donations received on the RCA Pink Walkathon day on the 1st of October, 2010 as well as post-event donations received from corporates, schools and individuals. The costs associated with the event were successfully kept to an absolute minimum. The net proceeds were equally shared between the Rotary Club of Adliya’s Gift of Life Bahrain initiative to purchase medical equipment in the aid of Congenital Heart Diseased children and Think Pink Bahrain’s MRI fund.

Mahmood Al-Yousif, the president of the Rotary Club of Adliya expressed his delight at this occasion, stating, “the RCA Pink Walkathon’s success allowed us to hit several birds with the proverbial single stone: through this event – which we hope to make an annual fixture in our Rotary calendar – we allowed people to interact and enjoy themselves, we got them to participate in an excellent low-impact sporting activity in one of the most beautiful areas of the kingdom, they helped us raise both awareness of both CHD and Breast Cancer and raise funds for two very worthy projects!”

“We cannot have hoped for a better partner for this event than Think Pink Bahrain. Their drive and enthusiasm merged excellently with our own and together we created an event that Bahrain can justifiably be proud of. Through this partnership, we proved that cooperation in philanthropic endeavors is much more conducive than competition and we now look forward as the Rotary Club of Adliya to partner with more local charities to help them benefit from our endeavours and expertise, all for the good of the community in this great nation,” Mahmood Al-Yousif continued.

“Tonight, we at the Rotary Club of Adliya are thrilled to make good on our word. A cheque for BD1,677 has been presented to Think Pink Bahrain’s Ms. Julie Sprakel which will go directly to their MRI fund,” concluded Mahmood Al-Yousif.

“Think Pink Bahrain is driving inexorably toward its declared mission with not only raising funds, as is the case with this particular exemplary relationship with the Rotary Club of Adliya, but by holding the RCA Pink Walkathon in such a high profile area of the Kingdom, we were able to broadcast our message of support for women in Bahrain and elsewhere and encourage them to to take breast cancer examinations seriously,” said Julie Sprakel, the founder of Think Pink Bahrain.

“Our iCheck campaign,” Ms. Sprakel continued, “gained good exposure, especially that October is internationally celebrated as Breast Cancer awareness month. Being able to hold this activity on the very first day of October positioned us very well to launch into a month-long busy schedule of events and activities all of which are designed to highlight our messages.”

“We are very proud of this exemplary relationship with the Rotary Club of Adliya, and through them we hope to continue our relationship to achieve our objectives,” said Ms Sprakel.

Bahrain suffers from a very high CHD incidence rate which is four times that of international averages – almost 16 for every 1,000 live births in the country. The main factors behind CHD are mostly attributed to consanguinity – marrying one’s close relative – and other sociological and demographical reasons as concluded by leading experts in the field. The other important issue brought to light at the event was breast cancer which recently claimed its youngest victim in Bahrain: a 19-year-old young woman. Both health issues require concerted exposure and education in order to remove cultural taboos and encourage people to be better equipped to deal with them.

The Rotary Club of Adliya [RCA] and Think Pink Bahrain jointly participated in organising the event. The net funds raised will be equally divided between their two worthy initiatives: the RCA’s “Gift of Life Bahrain” through which necessary congenital heart disease diagnostic and treatment equipment will be purchased for use at the Salmaniya Medical Centre. The other half of the funds will go toward Think Pink Bahrain’s initiative to purchase a much needed high fidelity MRI machine to screen women of all ages for breast cancer.

Mahmood Al-Yousif, the current president of the Rotary Club of Adliya and the instigator of the Walkathon, and Julie Sprakel, the founder of Think Pink Bahrain inaugurated the walkathon and led the procession on the first of October.

People from all over the kingdom and of all ages and ethnicities participated in the 5.6km route which started at the Al-Ghous Corniche onto the Shaikh Hamad Old Muharraq bridge, down to the Diplomat intersection thence onto the new Shaikh Isa bridge and back to the starting point. While some participants opted to run the course, others jogged, walked and some even danced and hopped their way along route. Much fun was had by everyone done full in the knowledge that they were helping their fellow human beings. The colour pink was certainly predominant through which participants expressed their solidarity with both CHD and breast cancer sufferers.

Several entities contributed to the success of this event, the organisers recognise the help and support received from many individuals, officials, commercial and government organisations. In particular the organisers wish to extend their sincere thanks and appreciation to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Works, the Muharraq Governate, the Muharraq Municipality, the Traffic Department, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Manhal Water Company, Red Bull, BMMI, Little Gems, Bahrain Blinds and Gulf Broadcast.

Both English papers carried articles and news about the RCA Pink Walkathon, with the GDN – the most read English paper in Bahrain – featuring us on its front page.

This goes a long way toward our goal of education and awareness of both diseases. We hope that the Arabic papers will also carry our news and events for the benefit of our community.

We at the RCA extent our heartfelt thanks to our partners Think Pink Bahrain and every single person and organisation which helped us make it a day to remember.

Muharraq, Kingdom of Bahrain, Friday 1st Oct 2010 – The first Rotary Club of Adliya’s RCA Pink Walkathon was a resounding success with an estimated participation of over 500 caring individuals. The objectives of the activity was to raise awareness of two important health issues afflicting people in the Kingdom of Bahrain: Congenital Heart Diseases (CHD) and Breast Cancer.

Bahrain suffers from a very high CHD incidence rate which is four times that of international averages – almost 16 for every 1,000 live births in the country. The main factors behind CHD are mostly attributed to consanguinity – marrying one’s close relative – and other sociological and demographical reasons as concluded by leading experts in the field. The other important issue brought to light at the event was breast cancer which recently claimed its youngest victim in Bahrain: a 19-year-old young woman. Both health issues require concerted exposure and education in order to remove cultural taboos and encourage people to be better equipped to deal with them.

The Rotary Club of Adliya [RCA] and Think Pink Bahrain jointly participated in organising the event. The net funds raised will be equally divided between their two worthy initiatives: the RCA’s “Gift of Life Bahrain” through which necessary congenital heart disease diagnostic and treatment equipment will be purchased for use at the Salmaniya Medical Centre. The other half of the funds will go toward Think Pink Bahrain’s initiative to purchase a much needed high fidelity MRI machine to screen women of all ages for breast cancer. Over BD 2,000 was raised on the day with more pledged by individuals and corporations.

Mahmood Al-Yousif, the current president of the Rotary Club of Adliya and the instigator of the Walkathon, and Julie Sprakel, the founder of Think Pink Bahrain inaugurated the walkathon and led the procession.

People from all over the kingdom and of all ages and ethnicities participated in the 5.6km route which started at the Al-Ghous Corniche onto the Shaikh Hamad Old Muharraq bridge, down to the Diplomat intersection thence onto the new Shaikh Isa bridge and back to the starting point. While some participants opted to run the course, others jogged, walked and some even danced and hopped their way along route. Much fun was had by everyone done full in the knowledge that they were helping their fellow human beings. The colour pink was certainly predominant through which participants expressed their solidarity with both CHD and breast cancer sufferers.

“It was a brilliant showing of passionate individuals who clearly want to change the world one step at a time through their efforts today. Bahrain should be proud of every single participant here,” Mahmood Al-Yousif commented. “We at the Rotary Club of Adliya will continue to find new and creative ways to help our local community, and as you have seen here today, we want to partner effectively with other local charities and foundations to help them excel and reach their goals faster. We believe and look toward the ultimate benefactors of our endeavors and that is the citizens and residents of this great country. This collaboration reflects the Rotary Club of Adliya’s strategy of not wanting to re-invent the wheel, but collaborate for the greater good of this country. Consolidating our efforts like this enshrines the Rotary adage of Service Above Self, a principal we as Rotarians happily live by” concluded the Rotary Club of Adliya’s president.

Julie Sprakel, the founder of Think Pink commented, “Think Pink Bahrain’s mission is public awareness. The walkathon today spoke volumes about a community’s responsiveness to both charities. From babies in prams through to grandparents, all with a view to help in any way they can and have fun and improve their health through a sporting activity while doing so. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and effort both today and in the run up to this event. It was an amazing opportunity to showcase our breast cancer awareness campaign.”

Several entities contributed to the success of this event, the organisers recognise the help and support received from many individuals, officials, commercial and government organisations. In particular the organisers wish to extend their sincere thanks and appreciation to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Works, the Muharraq Governate, the Muharraq Municipality, the Traffic Department, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Manhal Water Company, Red Bull and Gulf Broadcast.

Please come and join us. It'll be 5 kilometers of fun and you will help a lot of people by participating

The route will be a circular route between the capital city of Manama and the island of Muharraq passing through both main causeways linking the islands together. Come and enjoy spectacular views, have some fun, meet people while helping us raise funds for two very worthy cases:

1. GoLB – Gift of Life Bahrain: to purchase medical equipment to help children with congenital heart disease [CHD] for the Salmania Medical Centre, and
2. Think Pink Bahrain society to raise funds to purchase an advanced MRI machine to diagnose breast cancer especially in young women.

Both societies would highly appreciate it if you would share this map with your friends and contacts and encourage them to participate.

The Rotary Club of Adliya is proud to once again host the “Elderly Iftar” in which tens of worthy elderly ladies and gentlemen are invited to break their fast on the evening of Monday 16 Aug 2010 as its guests, affirming its continuous objective to serve and connect with its community. The iftar is going to be held in the main restaurant in the Elite Resort & Spa on the old Muharraq Causeway.

This year’s Elderly Iftar is going to take place on the evening of Monday the 16th of August at the Elite Resort & Spa’s main restaurant and the Club would indeed be privileged if you would join them and extend a warm hand of friendship to the elderly. The cost is just BD5 per person, so bring your family and friends along!

If you wish to lend a hand in the event, please be available at the venue from 5pm. You might consider just sitting with an elderly lady or gentlemen and simply chatting to them, or helping them get their food, or if you wish, donate to the Club to help it serve the community even better.

The Rotary Club of Adliya wishes to take this opportunity to once again wish you and yours a very happy, healthy, pious and fulfilling Ramadhan

During the visit, the members of the Rotary Club of Adliya met with Dr. Resan Humoud Badran, MKCC’s Director, and Prof. Dr. Mary Lynch-Tareif, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist. RCA President Mahmood Al Yousif, Rotarians Khulood Al Qattan and Dr. Faiza Ghabrial were briefed on the incidence of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) in Bahrain and the services provided by MKCC.

“We have previously wrongly assumed that no such centre exists in Bahrain, and that a CHD centre should be established from scratch. The visit to MKCC has abundantly demonstrated that a world-class facility does indeed exist which is highly sought after not only by patients in Bahrain, but from as far afield as Sudan and other international locations,” the club said in a statement.

However, it added, a diagnosis, monitor- ing and basic treatment facility is still required at the central medical hospital on the island, and although it may not be necessary to establish a second centre such as that available at MKCC, the Salmaniya Medical Centre (SMC) does require the necessary paediatric tools to enable it to conduct informed diagnosis and offer treatment to patients in cooperation with MKCC.

Rotary Club launches Gift of Life initiative - Members of the Rotary Club of Adliya are seen during their visit to the MKCC.

As part of its Gift of Life initiative, the club will raise funds to provide the SMC with the necessary equipment, with the first fund-raising activity being scheduled for October 1 in cooperation with Think Pink Bahrain. The first event will consist of a walkathon and several other events are already well into the planning stages with activities to take place regularly from October until June 2011.

The MKCC has been diagnosing, monitoring and surgically treating CHD patients since its inception in 1992. They have fully trained and world-renowned cardiologists and surgeons, such as Cardiac Surgeon Dr. Habib Tareif and Paediatric Cardiologist Dr. Neal Kallis. Surgeries are conducted at both MKCC and the SMC.

CHD prevalence rates worldwide aver- age between 3.75 and 4.3 out of every 1,000 live births. Bahrain has between 12,000 and 14,000 live births annually and a total of 826 patients with Congenital Heart Disease have been identified by the centre over a recent 4-year period. This translates to 15.88 per 1,000 live births – an average that is significantly higher than the global incidence rate.

10 per cent of these patients require surgery in their first year of life, while 4 to 5 per cent require surgery within the first 3 months of their lives.

The majority of operations are con- ducted at MKCC by qualified staff and a smaller number are conducted at SMC. A small number of complex cases are referred abroad.

The government covers all costs for Bahraini citizens sent abroad for treatment through the Overseas Treatment Committee.

The Centre has surgically treated 887 CHD patients since its founding, averaging 60 patients annually. It has also con- ducted over 11,000 echoes and actively monitors 3,246 patients on a regular basis, 297 of whom have undergone catheterisation interventions.

This article appeared with thanks in the Bahrain Tribune on 27 July, 2010.

Here is the full interview for your viewing pleasure, do please enter your feedback as a comment below if you would. You can also download this episode as a podcast should you wish to view it offline.