Dubai: Pink Caravan, an initiative by the Friends of Cancer Patients Society, concluded its tour in the northern emirates on Saturday.

In an effort to reach all seven emirates, It is now preparing to spread its message of hope and awareness in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Ride includes free screening tests offered to over 3,000 people, 25 per cent of whom are men.

In its first six days, the Pink Caravan Ride covered Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, and Ajman. The Ride is scheduled to be in Dubai on Sunday (today) and Monday, and concludes in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday.

An elite group of international riders are scheduled to join the Ride on its seventh day, including a number of world competitions winners and athletic champions. The seventh day of the Ride will kick off in front of the Rixos Palm Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai at 10am, passing by Nassimi beach at Atlantis, and concluding the day at the One and Only Royal Mirage, totalling a distance of 21.5km.

Liz de Jong, project manager at the Friends of Cancer Society and the Pink Caravan, said: “Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting men and women in the developed and developing world alike. It is also the most prevalent type of cancer among women, accounting for 16 per cent of all cancers affecting women. Globally, about 1.1 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, which makes it of great importance to carry on with our efforts to spread awareness and encourage early detection and screening in the UAE community year after year.”

The two mobile clinics established by the Pink Caravan at Hamydeya Park in Ajman and Sharjah National Park in Sharjah saw great activity as well, with records showing 541 screening tests performed in these two clinics, including 191 men. This raises the total number of screening tests to 3,022 in the first five days of the Ride, including 768 men.

In the duration of the tour, the Ride stopped at a number of key location in the northern emirates including Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Qasba. the Sharjah Ladies Club, Umm Al Quwain Hospital, and Khalifa Hospital in Ajman.