Raising Awareness byArt
From the Philippines, World Kidney Day was celebrated from the
Philippine Society of Nephrology and its component chapters. The sponsor was
St. Luke’s Medical Center, Quezon City, which officially opened the celebration
with an Art Exhibit, followed with a Lay Forum and simultaneous lectures using
free urinalysis done at two colleges. A Kidney Run was also organized as part
of this WKD celebration along with the PSN@50 Organizing Committee, Dr.
Dingdong Biruar, Dr. Agnes Cruz and Dr. Jeanne Bayaca, as a kick off activity
in preparation to the PSN 50th anniversary in 2020.
The art exhibition featured paintings out of medical students of this
school, residents and fellows in training and other budding artists. There was
also a’Learn How to Paint’ activity, whereas the template was a shrub using a
reflection from the water seeming like two claws. A famous Filipino sculptor,
Mr. Rey Paz Contreras, made a”Kidney Tree” sculpture as highlight of
this art exhibition.
The other hospitals in the Philippines also had their own celebration of
World Kidney Day comprising also of workout activities, lectures, free
urinalysis, and art exhibition, as well. Art is a medium that can be utilized
as saying to raise awareness of health issues and conditions and also the
requirement to give importance to our health.
Healthy cooking Demonstration
About WKD 2019, the TKF held a cooking session for kids, teaching them
how to make healthy decisions by adding healthful foods in their meals. What’s
more, young people were encouraged to attend the”Young Chefs”
session, alongside the Turkish TV stars, cooking healthy and tasty meals. One
of the main goals was to learn more about the altenatives to sugar and salt,
which are often overused in our daily lives. As the TKF explains, excessive
salt and sugar intake and lack of exercise are important risk factors for the
beginning of several disorders, such as kidney disease.
Organizing a session on”healthy cooking”, that actively
involves young people, supplies them with all the skills and knowledge to make
better decisions to their well-being. The WKD team is happy to incorporate this
as one of those”Best Ideas” and encourages other organizations to
have motivated by the idea of their TKF due to their activities and events such
as WKD!
Walk Awareness on Kidney Day
Public walks are one of the most typical and effective activities
organized around health campaigns and awareness days.
An awareness walk is an event that aims at attracting people’s attention
to a particular topic. Participants are asked to walk a certain number of miles
or kilometers to reveal their support to a certain cause. The walk usually is
held on a public and highly visible floor to maximize its impact and catch the
attention of a broader audience. Heavy branding and eye-catching slogan are
usually utilized with exactly the same intent.
Here’s a concrete example of an awareness walk organized by Molly Fabe and also the Cape Kidney Association at Cape Town in occasion for World Kidney Day 2020.
“I was motivated to do a walk because I also delight in walkingand
many years ago we had been involved ‘cycle rides’ although not having adequate
manpower/volunteers, the job became too large for me to handle,” she says.
“I was motivated to do a walk because I also delight in walkingand
many years ago we had been involved ‘cycle rides’ although not having adequate
manpower/volunteers, the job became too large for me to handle,” she says.
In 2015, 650 walkers took part, almost 5 times greater than the very
first year. Gathering people together is always challenging and there are many
reasons for poor attendance. Promoting your activity via any probable means is
essential. “We promoted the event through our contacts data base, renal
units and hospitals, media opportunities, friends and family and
running/walking nightclubs; we utilized all types of promotional channels and
collaterals such as posters, leaflets, newspaper advertising; we all shipped
text messages and participated in radio programs” she adds.
Weather and traffic frequently affect the amount of participants however
all these are factors that one can’t control. For the remainder, the most
important component for the achievement of a walk would be PLAN, PLAN, PLAN!
After we asked Molly what her valuable Suggestions to organize a
successful walk is, she answered:
Especially as one is needed to obtain a license from the municipality.
Make certain that you ask well in advance (At the Town of Cape Town the
application for the license has to be filed at least six weeks in advance)
Meet together with all the relevant people from the municipality as well
as patrons and volunteers on a regular basis
Find patrons to assist with various financial aspects of the walk
Involve as many people as you can on your planning.
Do a check list and mark as you along.
Sell t-shirts and other memorabilia at the walk as it’s also revenue for
the association
Make sure everyone is in place at the registration tables as well as the
marshalsbefore case starts.
Make certain that you have enough individuals to assist with the clean
up afterwards
Do not neglect to thank everyone when performing the trophy giving
because an occasion such as this cannot be a success with no volunteers and
patrons.
National Celebration of Kidney Health Day
Some states celebrate World Kidney Day using a real nationwide campaign.
Many events are organized in various towns and typically one designated city
retains the main celebrations. The larger celebration includes a multi-activity
occasion that is provided to people with the aim of attracting many
participants and raising awareness.
Dr. Anita Manocha informs about the WKD celebrations that took place in
Penang, Malaysia, in occasion for World Kidney Day 2015.
In 2015, national celebrations for World Kidney Day took place in Penang
with the Ministry of Health, the Malaysian Society of Nephrology and the
National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia functioning together to organize a
multi-activity occasion culminating to a walk throughout town and a selfie
contest.
The path took walkers round a number of the town’s heritage buildings. A
photograph contest was also organized to encourage kidney health. Participants
were encouraged to take photographs and share them on social media. A health
exhibition to inform the general public about kidneys and kidney disease was in
display and a free screening for kidney disease was put upon a two fully
equipped cell buses.
A few hints on organizing such a large event, proceeds Dr.
Manocha:”Start planning early and start with small events that with
expertise do larger ones.”
Share ideas and brain storm at the first couple of sessions. Finally,
dispersing information is important. “You want to remember the reason
behind each individual linking the occasion — participants, sponsors,
exhibitors. They all must be addressed.”
Most times the patrons are approached individually by members. A host letter is also sent from the various pharmaceutical companies that are involved with the care of renal patients. Some large companies devote themselves to the occasion as part of the corporate responsibility to the general public.
Promoting such a significant event is also quite challenging. We place
banners and streamers up in the town area and in strategic areas. We created a
Facebook page to advertise the event on the internet into the younger
generations. Registration kiosks were installed in various hospitals to make
registration easy and accessible. We utilized colorful flyers and spread them
by mail from many residential areas and also to local athletic clubs.
At the end the entire job was more than worthwhile. “It was fine to
find the place bustling with activity in the beginning to the end. It was just
like a small village, everyone performing and talking kidneys”.
Public Awareness on Kidney Day
Several organizations are involved with the preparation of various sorts
of occasions across the contry; television,radio, people screenes and other
mass media outlets are utilized to foster the campaign; stars and VIPs provide
their participation to spread the message of awareness; the Ministry of Health
also participates endorsing the campaign and encouraging activities in many
communities. The entire nation is concerned and World Kidey Day is anywhere.
Turkish Kidney Foundation organizes public awareness campaigns each
year. The motif for 2015 was Stop Utilizing Painkillers irresponsibly — Do Not
Destroy Your Kidneys! It was encouraged by the players of Turkish football team
Galatasaray FC.
Ayşe Onat explains the importance of planning the campaign as early as
you can:”After a brainstorming sessionwe determined how to plan our
campaign and scheduled assignments with deadlines”
She adds:”We worked hard to advise individuals and raise awareness.
Therefore when we announced that the campaign, because it has an attractive
appearance, many individuals joined our activities.”
It also important to understand that your subject and the requirements
of your audience:”We had the chance to discover the kidney issues in
Turkey so that we can point out the main issues and priorities”
Do not underestimate the power of this hashtag says Ayşe as she
considers that social media is the best way to spread the word. Finally, use
your own profile and reputation to gain assistance from companies and
organisations throughout social obligation.