International Breast Cancer Awareness month with Neubodi

Neubodi, a Malaysian lingerie specialist brand officially launched its month-long “DONATE. SUPPORT. RECYCLE” Bra Drive campaign which will run until 5 November, in conjunction with the International Breast Cancer Awareness month. Drop-off unwanted or used bras in their “Bra Banks” at any Neubodi stores nationwide and they will donate gently-used items to victims of sex trafficking, enabling their rehabilitation into society as they earn a livelihood selling second-hand bras.

Beneficiaries of the “DONATE” initiative are communities in Malaysia, Cambodia, Nepal, India and Africa including those in poverty for whom bras are sought-after essential item – providing comfort and self-esteem. Keeping textile away from the landfills, bras not suited for donation will be collected by their strategic partner, Life Line Clothing Malaysia. Using proprietary technology, raw materials of bras such as spandex, nylon, metal wire and plastics will be converted into reusable solid fuel commonly used to power industrial boilers and generators. This “RECYCLE” initiative is Malaysia’s first activity of its kind.

The partnership between Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA) and Neubodi aims to increase public awareness that breast cancer is ‘gender blind’, and promote the importance of self-examination and early detection while raising funds for BCWA’s “Hospital Angels” programme. In this initiative, trained specialists will visit newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and help them learn to cope with the disease in an encouraging and positive environment. Funds are raised via Neubodi’s “Pedal Forward” cycling convoy that concluded this morning, and exclusive sales from its GO PINK collection during this launch weekend at 1 Utama Shopping Centre’s Ground Floor - Highstreet Concourse. Certain proceeds from the sales of Neubodi’s GO PINK collection will be donated to BCWA.

The success of Neubodi’s DONATE. SUPPORT. RECYCLE Bra Drive campaign has been made possible with the support of strategic partners Excel SLA (M) Sdn.Bhd and 3 Gorgeous Network. Neubodi’s Bra Drive is being held for a fifth year and has to-date collected some six tonnes of bras. For ‘pioneering women welfare initiatives’, Neubodi Holdings Sdn.Bhd received KPWKM’s CSR Malaysia Award (SME Category) in July 2017.

To further drive awareness amongst 1Utama shoppers, BCWA’s mobile clinic - equipped with early detection and support tools for clinical breast examination, and specialised booth offering counselling sessions on breast self-examination using customised silicone models, have been set up. Tropicana Medical Centre’s oncology specialists and health professionals are also on-hand to facilitate public understanding on breast cancer and conduct on-site basic health screening.

A highlight of the day included the official cheque donation to BCWA of over RM60,000 from Neubodi’s “Pedal Forward” initiative. In the morning, over 100 cyclists journeyed 18km, having had personally raised funds for a month prior to the event. Funds were collected via MyStartr – a crowdfunding platform, making it Malaysia’s first programme of its kind. “BCWA is heartened by the community-focused Neubodi Bra Drive for it helps us reach a wider audience in our combined efforts to tackle breast cancer,” elaborated Ranjit Kaur, President, BCWA. “Such public and private support enables us to continue with our mission to improve the quality of life for men and women with breast cancer and to create a well-informed society about breast health and breast cancer.”

Neubodi’s public awareness programme, ending this weekend, is a family-affair with other event partners and mall tenants hosting activities range from flash mobs to makeover sessions to handicraft-making to push-pin art, conservation talks and photo booths. 

More details on Neubodi’s "DONATE.SUPPORT.RECYCLE" Bra Drive 2017, ending 5 November, can be found at Neubodi’s Facebook page, facebook.com/neubodi or on its website at neubodi.com