Movember, an annual event held in November, has become a global movement that originally championed men's health. The initiative was founded in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia by two friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, who sought to bring back the moustache as a fun trend. They decided to use their facial hair to raise awareness about men's health issues, particularly prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.
What started with just 30 participants, affectionately known as 'Mo Bros', has grown exponentially. Today, millions of people around the world participate in Movember, supporting causes by growing moustaches, running fundraising campaigns, and promoting health education. This includes the 'Mo Sistas', women who support the men in their lives by raising funds and spreading awareness.
Movember has funded over 1,250 health projects globally, across countries like the UK, Canada, the United States, and Australia. These projects range from innovative research and clinical tests to mental health programmes and educational campaigns. By focusing on early detection, effective treatments and reduced mortality rates, Movember aims to enhance the quality of life for people and also tackle the stigma surrounding men's health.
Through the power of the 'mo', Movember continues to spark important conversations, drive fundraising, and ultimately save lives – one moustache at a time.
In an interview with Greg, we learned about his reasons for starting the WCH Movember and how it is not only benefiting those in need.
Gregory Pauline
Early Years Class Teacher
Outdoor Lead
Movember started as a way to raise awareness for issues that affect men's health. Here in the nursery, we wanted to also mark this occasion. So, some of our teachers wanted to take part by growing a moustache. And of course, children have lots of questions about this and we have changed this into a learning experience for the children.
It's a fun thing for us to do and the children are aware of it as a fun thing. But they also know that through this tiny little thing, they can make a huge difference in the lives of children around the world.
Kids, come to me and ask, ‘Why do we call this a Movember event?’. So, Movember started in Australia about 20 years ago, when two friends grew moustaches as a way to raise money for their friend who had cancer. This has since spread around the world and has become linked to the UNICEF charity, where money is donated to help research cancer treatments and support those cancer victims.
It is also used for funding research and other illnesses that affect men's health, especially things like mental health issues and other things that are a big issue for men around the world. So, Movember is observed and actively participated in many different countries, where men will grow moustaches, raise money and donate to good causes. Here at Hiba, we are doing this as well, not just to raise money for charity, but also to teach children that they can be part of it and that they can help solve these problems.
I think that in society, men generally don't tend to speak so much about personal matters or things that involve them very, very closely in their lives. So, Movember is an excellent event that involves everyone, gets us involved together as a community, and helps men, especially to open up and share as part of that community.
And it's excellent and wonderful for children to see it, to be involved and hopefully, create some awareness and change for the future. So, in that way, it has a great impact on the lives of children and their futures too.
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