Manila Downtown YMCA and Youth Club celebrate Women's History Month

Last Updated (Tuesday, 30 March 2021 17:16)

“Strand Up for Cancer”

Manila Downtown YMCA and Youth Club celebrate Women's History Month!

We celebrate the countless achievements and contributions of women to our society. We empower every woman to rise and ‘strand up’. The Strand Up for YMCA's cancer project is a mission by former Vice President for Youth Club Social Works, Ms Ann Melody Yao, back in 2013. It is now in its 8th year of advocating for cancer awareness and women empowerment this 2021. Strand Up for Cancer started from being a hair-collecting project that outsourced its wig-manufacturing and final distribution of wigs to a partner organization named “Kythe” from a local Jesuit university. It continues its advocacy as a stand-alone project by the Manila Downtown YMCA and Manila Downtown YMCA Youth Club. Through the years of continuous patronage by donors, Strand Up for Cancer has now gained a milestone of 3,400 followings on its social media page, gaining thousands of engagements and an average of 100 hair donations per year. For the last two years and counting, Strand Up for Cancer works to manufacture wigs to benefit Cancer patients with less financial capability background. The success of this project has so far been realized through the smiles from our grateful beneficiaries but have further yet to be achieved from a broader perspective. Youth Club leaders are doing their best to help put in an efficient system for the project that will help spread the advocacy more as time goes by. Strand Up for Cancer aims to grow locally at a steady pace and build a household brand for cancer awareness that will help give a strong sense of hope, strength, courage, and empowerment to women of all walks of life who are fighting cancer. We ‘strand up’ with every woman to continue empowering generations upon generations of strong and resilient women.

#StrandUpForWomen

#YouthCares

 

By Venus May G. Alinsod
Executive Director, Manila Downtown YMCA