BUILDING Blocks of Hope: The Race to a Million Challenge, a charity campaign for breast cancer awareness, has sold 18,501 bricks, marking its first milestone.
The amount raised will be donated to a local health centre for education, equipment, training and patient services purposes.
The drive, launched in July 2024, is a joint initiative of Think Pink: Bahrain Breast Cancer Society – the kingdom’s only standalone breast cancer-focused NGO – and Bahrain Bricks, which specialises in creating products to generate funding.
It aims to sell one million blocks to create a giant sculpture of ‘hope and resilience’ at least six metres tall.
A poster of the recent milestone
The announcement follows a social media post by the society last month, highlighting that it had raised BD21,000 from its Think Pink Bahrain October 2025 campaign, with some funds still being collected.
Breast cancer is a disease in which abnormal breast cells grow out of control and form tumours. Awareness campaigns and early detection can save lives, alongside specialist treatment and post-treatment care.
“We are thankful for the schools and nurseries who really support the charity year-on-year,” Think Pink Bahrain founder and president Dr Julie Sprakel told the GDN. “We had a lot of ‘pink washing’ where no funds were directed to the charity but the community thought the event funds were being directed to Think Pink. This is hard for us, but harder for the services that we are then able to provide like genetic testing, lymphatic physio, customised bandages for women who need lymphatic support, counselling and post care.
“We have an ambitious goal with the bricks which, when completed, will be a game changer for patient pathways,” she added.
In order to support the Race to a Million Challenge, patrons can buy a brick, volunteer to manage the drive or simply spread the word.
When supporters purchase a brick for the monument, they receive an additional brick with a certificate of authenticity as a souvenir. Both bricks are engraved with the purchaser’s name. The blocks cost BD2 with half of the funds going to the charity and the other half covering the cost of the two bricks, engraving and the certification card.
The idea for the campaign came about when Bahrain Bricks co-founder David Robinson approached the charity two years ago, with magnets and keychains that the company had made to support the cause. During the meeting, they thought of a kit that represented Think Pink Bahrain’s iCHECK logo, which in turn led to the idea for the fundraiser.
iCHECK-Think Pink Bahrain is the name of the society’s app, an easy-to-use breast self-examination guide, which can be downloaded on Android and Apple devices.
Think Pink Bahrain marked its 21st anniversary last year. Starting with an initial donation of over BD120,000, it has grown from supporting the National Mammography Drive to working closely with the Social Development and Health Ministries, National Health Regulatory Authority and Supreme Council of Health.
A recent study by the Health Ministry and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) found that 39 per cent of the 160 Bahraini research subjects that were tested between 2021 and 2024 had gene mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer.
Bahrain currently has the highest breast cancer rate in the Gulf, with an estimated incidence of 117 cases per 100,000 women and an age-standardised rate of 58.5 per 100,000 – also higher than all other GCC countries.
Globally, around 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, with 670,000 deaths reported, according to the World Health Organisation.
While the five-year survival rates in high-income countries exceeds 90pc, the figures drop to 66pc in India and 40pc in South Africa.
If the current trend continues, the incidence and mortality are projected to rise by 40pc by 2050.
n To support the campaign, visit bahrainbricks.org and follow @thinkpinkbahrain for more information.
melissa@gdnmedia.bh
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