What is it ?
After the month of pink October, which was designed to raise awareness of breast cancer screening, the month of November, or Movember, aims to raise awareness of men’s diseases, particularly those at risk of cancer.
According to the Ligue contre le cancer, more than 200,000 men are affected by cancer every year. There were 204,600 men in 2018, compared with 177,400 women. The most common cancer is prostate cancer.
Where does it come from ?
The initiative was born in Australia in 2003, when two friends set themselves the challenge of finding 30 men willing to grow moustaches, after observing that men were less attentive to their health than women. The Movember Foundation was then set up, with funds going to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Little by little, the movement spread to several countries, including France in 2012.
How do we do it ?
The aim is to “change the face of men’s health”. Men are invited to shave off all their hair at the beginning of the month, and then to grow a moustache for 30 days. Participants can register on the foundation’s website and then share the progress of their moustache on social networks, the mobile app or the Movember website.
The other aim of Movember is to promote physical activity as a way of protecting your health. Men and women can commit to running 60 km during the month of November. “60 km for the 60 men we lose every hour to suicide around the world”, says the Movember Foundation.
What for ?
“Prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention – we’re tackling them all”, explains the Movember foundation. Its aim is to reduce by 2030 “the number of men who die prematurely by 25%”. The foundation has noted that “on average, men worldwide live six years less than women” and that “three out of four suicides are committed by men”.
What are the results ?
The Movember Foundation funds a number of local and national programmes. Its website states that it has funded “more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world” and raised “€877 million for men’s health” since 2003. In 2020, the foundation raised 83.4 million euros from 20 countries. 394,650 people took part in Movember in 2020.
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