Fund tackles breast and cervical cancer

Amorepacific, a major cosmetics company from South Korea, is expanding a special fund in China for the prevention and treatment of cervical and breast cancer in regions with insufficient resources.

The company will pour 10 million yuan ($1.47 million) into a joint fund co-established and managed by the China Women's Development Foundation this year, up from 8 million yuan in 2016.

The money will mostly be dedicated to screening and treatment of breast and cervical cancer for women from seven counties in Central China's Hunan province and Southwest China's Guizhou province, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said Charles Kao, president of Amorepacific China.

Last year the company organized social welfare projects, including 95 lectures on breast and cervical issues, to serve 43,500 women.

It also provided free medical checkups for 12,078 women, 114 of whom were suspected to have related illness, he said.

Dubbed "Make Up Your Life," the project had its roots in South Korea back in 2008, when it was initially designed to help women there diagnosed with cancer.

It helped them restore their beauty and build up their confidence by teaching them skincare and makeup skills, Kao said.

He and his team upgraded the project to tailor it to the needs of local women - centering it on prevention, treatment and recovery from breast cancer and cervical cancer.

According to the China Cancer Registration Annual Report 2015, as many as 2.5 million patients will be diagnosed with breast cancer in China by 2020 if the morbidity rate keeps rising.

Meanwhile, China diagnoses 150,000 new patients suffering from cervical cancer each year, which is said to be one third of the total worldwide.

"We chose breast and cervical cancers as the target, because they are the most suitable for screening, and the incidence of disease and mortality can be reduced substantially," Amorepacific's Kao said.

"Besides, it best suits China's situation."

To prepare for the event, Amorepacific China held a one month-long charity sale for eight of its brands - including the Sulwhasoo, Laneige and Innisfree - as part of the broader effort to sponsor the initiative.

Revenue generated from the designated products from each brand was partially funneled into the charity fund.

Apart from a charity run to spice up the event, the skincare specialist said it also extended its training classes to cities like Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.

They had helped women recovering from breast or cervical cancer to learn makeup skills and exchange their recovery experiences.

According to Kao, the company also carried out other CSR projects.

For example, its Laneige brand supported water resource conservation of the Three River Sources region in Northwest China's Qinghai province by calling on people to drink all the water contained in bottles.

Innisfree, meanwhile, carried out green public welfare programs by advocating environmental protection and healthy lifestyles through activities including tree planting and green recycling.

"As a cosmetics company, we strive to create a balanced and harmonious state for women," Kao said.

hewei@chinadaily.com.cn