Imagine a life without the men you love – Movember foundation
International Men's Day is on 19 November and includes a focus on men's and boy's health.
Sometimes we don’t miss what we have until it’s gone.
In a heart-warming moment that redefined modern masculinity, ‘true love’, ‘personal relationships’ and the ‘little things’ prevailed when men across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States were asked what they would miss most if it were no longer around, according to research* released by the MovemberFoundation.
After friends and family (84 per cent), a third (33 per cent) of men surveyed confirmed they don’t want to miss out on true love – even more so than becoming a millionaire (24 per cent) or visiting the Seven Wonders of the World (24 per cent).
Additionally, the survey confirms that men would also really miss the ‘little things’ in life – and interestingly, that’s what 75 per cent of their loved ones would miss most about them if they were gone tomorrow.
These findings mark the launch of ‘Movember’, the month formerly known as November. From Movember 1, 2017, the Movember Foundation, the only global charity solely focused on men’s health, is driving home the scale of the global men’s health crisis by asking everyone to take a moment to consider what life would be like if they woke up today without the men that they love. What key moments would these men miss? Who would they leave behind? For the men themselves, what would they miss the most?
Furthermore, the data revealed that although we live in a digital age, texting isn’t enough, because old-school communication still means the most when keeping in touch with loved ones. Across various markets, two in five people surveyed (43 per cent) say ‘in person’ communication means the most, followed by a third (34 per cent) who say a ‘phone call’ is the most meaningful.
When it comes to keeping tabs on the well-being of the men in their life, women check in the most – within the past week, almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of women surveyed across various markets have asked the men in their lives how they are doing and over two-thirds (68 per cent) have given him a hug.
And, while men are very aware of their own mortality when it comes to facts and figures – with almost three in five men (58 per cent) believing the statement that men die on average six years earlier than women – over a quarter (27 per cent) of women take a more proactive role in managing the health of the men they care about (e.g. asking if they had a check-up lately (18 per cent) or schedule a doctor or dentist appointment for them (17 per cent).
Movember developed this year’s campaign to spark important conversations about the state of men’s health and to help preserve the lives of men throughout the world.
Across the world, men die an average six years younger than women, and for reasons that are largely preventable. The stats are startling:
• 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime
• 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer
• Testicular cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men aged 15–29
• 3 out of 4 suicides are men
• More than 500 000 men take their own life every year. That’s one every minute.
“When we look at these stats, it becomes so clear that there is a men’s health crisis,” said Owen Sharp, CEO of the Movember Foundation. “There is a lot that needs to be done, but by talking about it, by encouraging our friends to take action for their health and supporting them, we can help keep the men we love around to live happier, healthier, longer lives. They don’t have to miss out on those key moments that matter most.”
To kick off the campaign this Movember, not only are we asking everyone to think about what their life would be like without the men they love, we are asking them be the difference and take action to support the health of their loved ones, and themselves.
Here’s how you can help:
Grow a Mo, save a Bro
The moustache is the Movember Foundation’s ribbon for men’s health. Use it as a walking billboard to raise funds for men’s health.
Sign up to grow your moustache for 30 days. Want to take your Mo to the next level? Sacrifice your beard, auction off your face to the highest donor, or dye your Mo a different colour every day. Get creative to attract attention and raise funds.
Move – get active for men’s health
Raise funds for men’s health while you do something good for your own health. Join the Move challenge and make a commitment to be more physically active for the month. Get friends and family to donate to your efforts, and become healthier in the process.
Donate
Show the Mo Bros and Mo Sistas in your life that you support their Movember challenge by donating to their Mo Space. You can check in on their progress to see how their Mo is growing, or see how far along they are in their Move goal. Every little bit counts to help stop men dying too young.
Choose how you’ll get involved and get your friends, your family or your workplace on board. Spread the word, start a conversation, and raise money for vital men’s health programmes.
The Movember Foundation, the leading global men’s health charity, is working to help men live longer, happier, healthier lives. With money raised, the Foundation has funded over 1 200 game-changing programmes in prostate and testicular cancer and suicide prevention around the world, whilst positively challenging the way in which men’s health issues are researched and addressed.
Be the difference. Join the fight at za.movember.com and donate or sign-up as a Mo Bro or Mo Sista to help stop men dying too young.
About Movember
Join the Movement for Men’s Health and stop men dying too young. Grow, MOVE, host, donate – simply make a difference in the lives of men at www.za.movember.com.
Movember is ranked 49th out of the top 500 NGOs (non-governmental organisations) around the world and is the largest non-governmental funder of men’s health programmes 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.
In South Africa, Movember is grown and groomed by The Men’s Foundation of South Africa under licence from the International Movember Foundation. The Men’s Foundation is developing and implementing global programmes, as well as its own programmes, while working with local beneficiary partners, to identify, develop and fund men’s survivorship and research programmes that meet the global objectives of the Movember Foundation.
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. Iron Man, its biggest single investment in one programme, will be launched in the coming weeks.
Get involved
1. Sign up as a Mo Bro or Mo Sista at www.movember.com. Start a team at work or join a team and choose to grow or MOVE for the month. Include your fundraising target or move target for support and donations.
2. Growing? Begin the 1st of Movember with a clean-shaven face for the entire month of Movember, grow and groom a real moustache – don’t fake it.
3. MOVE-ing – Mo Bros & Sista’s, begin 1st Movember with your daily, weekly and monthly challenge, e.g. climb a 100 steps a day, 100km’s a month etc.
4. Using the power of your MOVE commitment or Mo-growing efforts, create conversations about men’s health and raise funds.
5. Follow your fundraising efforts on the leaderboards, which close early December for prizes and rewards.
For further information on programmes funded by Movember, official merchandise, how to fundraise etc, visit www.za.movember.com.
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