PYM About

Every breast cancer awareness event is organized by a student at their school/ University without funds

Protect your mom offers an innovative and scalable solution to the challenge of preventing breast cancer fatalities by harnessing the creative power of the youth and urging them to pester their moms to check for lumps and early signs of breast cancer at zero cost

Year Founded: 2011

Focus: Health, Breast cancer awareness, Children and Youth, Maternal Health

Model: Zero cost, zero funds, Non-Profit based on social media

Number of Direct Beneficiaries: It can help reduce mortalities dues to late detection. Over 500.000 die annually. Mortality rate is 50% in India

Annual budget: Zero (Except time )

Percentage Earned Revenue: Reduced medical expenses, saved lives

Awards & Recognition

The founder, Premi Mathew (MBA) has taught Marketing and Business subjects in reputed Universities in UAE and India for the last 20 years. She has been globally recognized for this innovative social marketing model:

The One Hundred: Named one of the top 100 global cancer crusaders by MGH, Boston (2016).
Top 100 Women Achievers: Invited by the President of India (2016).
Top 100 Indian Women: Middle East and Africa (2016).
Special Feature: Featured in "69 Inspiring Stories" (gifted to Nelson Mandela) and "Good Deeds" (dedicated to Sheikh Zayed).
Award Winner: Vanitha Ratna Award by Indywood (2018), Health Award UAE (2016), multi-year Emirates Woman Award nominee (2011, 2012) and Mathrubhumi She Awards nominee (2017)
High Flyers NRI, top 50 achiever (2020-2012)

Background

500000 lives are lost to breast cancer every year. Statistically one out of 8 ladies are at risk. Early detection could increase the survival rates to 95%.Mothers are usually too busy to check for lumps and early signs even if they are aware of the symptoms. Most of them ignore it till cancer spreads and becomes fatal. So we took an unusual route- through children

Innovation and Activities

Protect your mom campaign was started to make the students pester their moms to check for lumps and early signs of breast cancer. The campaign targets students for three reasons.

1.They grow up to be more informed adults.
2. Mothers are unlikely to screen out their kids unlike doctors and official sources.
3. Students can be reached through social media at zero cost.

Kids thus grow up to be more informed adults and might reach their moms more effectively than doctors and commercial sources at zero cost saving thousands of lives.

Unique Features

Every event is organized by student leaders in their own school/ University without funds.
The campaign focus on creating awareness about self exams and encourages kids to pester moms to check for early signs.
The only campaign which truly educates even 7 year olds by encouraging them to do a lot of research.
Zero cost ,zero staffed campaign run by volunteers connected via facebook
Creates awareness through music, dance and art -the language of the youth.
Builds leadership and organizational skills by assisting students to organize events to create awareness
Business /Marketing students could also test their skills while saving lives.
Following the TedX model, a standardized speech including a PYM pledge is delivered at every event.Students anywhere in the world could view the videos and follow instructions on the website and organize similar events and create awareness. Complete guidance is provided free of cost for organizing such events. Volunteers could also assist with their skills from anywhere in the world.

Kids as young as 7 campaign in India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Russia etc. during holidays. We build leaders!

Achievements

The biggest achievement is that we have saved 5 lives. Elizabeth Abraham and Shirley are two examples who don’t mind being public with this information. Both of them are alive because their children pestered their moms to go to the doctor when they found suspicious signs. They would have ignored it like thousands of other Indian women. Their stories can be found on our facebook page.
Created awareness about self exams through events in over 150 school /college wide events which educated over 200,000 students at no expense. Most events were covered by several media outlets to amplify awareness. View press coverage here.
Actually made students pester their moms to do self exams and ensure they are safe!
Has a unique collection of 25 positive stories of survivors to inspire cancer patients and assure them that there is life at the end of the tunnel. Check it out: #pymsurvivorshow
Held the first ever survivors show in Kochi, Kerala, India where 5 Indian survivors proved that there is life after cancer. Defying all taboos and myths and creating wide awareness through coverage by over 7 major media outlets! Also held the first survivors show at the Indian Consulate Dubai in 2020 with 7 Indian cancer survivors which hit over 7 media outlets including Zee TV and all national papers. #pymsurvivorshow
Started Adopt a Chemo Patient in 2013. School children directly pay the bills of chemo patients and understand the value of money, life and get rewarded with tears of joy. Thereby creating a more caring generation! Students have even saved a life as you can see at #adoptachemopatient
Started Chemo buddies in a small informal way to help cancer patients.
Protect Your Mom has a unique collection of student created dances, songs, speeches, skits etc to create awareness.
Converted into a case study on “pester power” in social marketing in association with University of Wollongong and published in Marketing Journal ,a top European Journal.

PYM went global in 2016 with the following developments:

India - Students as young as 8 held events in Kashmir, Bihar, Kollam, Chhattisgarh, Trivandrum, Mangalore, Punjab, Chennai, Bangalore and Udupi in India. Held 5 pink walkathons in Kerala involving over 1000 students every year from 2011.
UAE - over 50 schools from all Emirates have held PYM events.
World - In 2016 kids as young as 7 held events in Russia, Kenya, Sri Lanka during the summer holidays.

In ten years, PYM grew from a dream to a major campaign.

PYM has involved over 200,000 students in various events which spread the message at zero cost while students and indirectly their moms get a deeper understanding of breast cancer. PYM has a huge network of Brand Ambassadors.

Many students in Dubai have made it their mission to spend their summer holidays spreading this message in their hometowns in India. Former PYMers who are now studying abroad are planning events in Toronto and UK.

2021 Events

Organization	Location
Transunion	Chennai
"Face to face with 5 survivors" - An event by the Rotary Club of Sydenham	Global
International Indian School	Abu Dhabi
International Inner Wheel	Chennai
Gulf Model School	Dubai
Nova College of Education	Coimbatore
Arab Dental college	Dubai
Balco, Annual International Conference of Asian Society of Mastology	Chattisgarh
DPS, Chattisgarh	Chattisgarh
Emerson Global	Dubai
NSS Alleppey, Kerala	Kerala
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Trivandrum	Kerala
Hair donation events
Wipro - first MNC to host hair donation and donate directly to patient
Al Ameen College	Kochi
Betul -110 donors	MP
Transunion	Chennai
Balco-Ladies circle 50 wigs donation	Chattisgarh
Emerson Global	Dubai
Third global cut a thon on Metaverse with 475 donors, 7 countries and 26 live locations at 13 states	Metaverse
DPS	Chattisgarh

Unique Events

11th birthday celebration on Metaverse - 475 people donated live on zoom and at 26 live locations
Up close and personal with cancer survivors , an event with Sydenham Rotary Club. To give hope and strength to all cancer patients and survivors.
Open Mic Event , Delhi University.. An international event to create awareness about the importance of early detection of breast cancer.
Survivors show at Dubai where 5 Indian cancer survivors hit the stage at the Indian Consulate Dubai for the first time to prove that there is indeed life after cancer
First survivors show at Kochi , Kerala where 5 survivors hit the ramp and hit all the headlines showing that there is indeed life after cancer.