Pure Trade Africa’s Corporate Philanthropy Programme
As our company grows, so does our responsibility to give back to the people, communities, and organizations which have taken it upon themselves to bring about positive change in society.
As part of our commitment to honest and responsible business, each staff member was given the opportunity to nominate a charity to whom Pure Trade Africa would donate, on their behalf.
For the months of October and November, our focus fell to the Men’s Foundation of South Africa which was nominated by our Operations Manager, Gareth Loudon, and our Digital Marketer, Tyron Arnell.
Why the Men’s Foundation of South Africa?
When asked about why he chose the Men’s Foundation, Gareth wrote:
“My grandfather died of prostate cancer in early 2020. It is a very hard cancer to pick up as there are very few noticeable changes, but once you do have it, it is a terribly slow death. Therefore, awareness of it is very important – if you are able to catch it early enough you have a much better chance of survival.”
When asked the same question, Tyron wrote:
“Suicide is reported to be the second-largest cause of death in men under the age of 45. I’ve personally seen the impact of mental health issues being left unvoiced and untreated. The Men’s Foundation supports men’s mental health in a way that brings a fun contrast to a topic which is traditionally stigmatized, and avoided in discussion.”
The Men’s Foundation of South Africa*
The Men’s Foundation seeks to address a crisis faced by South African men. With a 7 year lower life expectancy than South African women, ranking 167th out of 193 countries, coupled with the high rate of GBVH and Femicide, South African men’s health-seeking behaviors coupled with patriarchal mindsets requires intervention
Through the knowledge acquired from launching and managing Movember since its inception in South Africa, The Men’s Foundation was established in 2015 by Movember Country Manager, Garron Gsell under the guidance of the exclusive license to continue managing the annual Movember campaign in South Africa until 2021.11.18.
We collaborate globally and locally to advocate in order to positively influence the average life expectancy of South African men by creating awareness and raising funds through partners and campaigns in order to develop, pilot and manage groundbreaking programs within corporates and communities to create impact and bring about change.
Applying Global Best Practice in Charity, setting the benchmark within South Africa’s developing country challenges with men’s health, adapted to our unique landscape.
The Men’s Foundation addresses men’s health issues in the following areas:
Men’s Cancers
The Cost of Cancer research published in 2021, conducted by the Cancer Alliance and co-funded by the Men’s Foundation highlights that Prostate Cancer will surpass all other forms of cancer by 2023 in South Africa, with a 140% increase in cases by 2030.
Prostate Cancer is the leading cancer affecting South African men, with a 1 in 16-lifetime risk based on the National Cancer Registry (NCR) 2017 figures.
African men are over 2 times more likely to develop prostate cancer and more aggressive forms of the disease.
Testicular Cancer cases have doubled over the past 10 years – known as the young man’s disease, reports of men in their 30’s and 40’s are being diagnosed.
Mental Health
Statistics indicate that 4 of every 5 suicides are men, with approx. 18 men taking their lives each day. We’re starting conversations and getting men to remove the stigmas and barriers to seek help and start a conversation.
GBV Prevention
Men are the main perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence with various contributors aligned to men’s inability to address toxic masculinity. We work to have men hold their peers accountable to a set of values that prescribes the Modern Gentleman.
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If you would like to find out more about the Men’s Foundation and the work which they do, visit their website, Facebook, or Instagram pages.