A colour run for Cancer will be held this week. An NGO is hosting a Colour Run at a Cape Winelands Wine Estate in Stellenbosch later this month, to raise funds for Cancer patients and Cancer Awareness. This is in the same month that World Cancer Day was commemorated.

The Pink Trees for Pauline NGO has been busy with Cancer awareness since 2013. Its spokesperson, Adri Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen says in the over 10 years that it has been around, over 140 towns in the country were involved. At the same time, they’ve sold thousands of metres of fabric to assist cancer patients and their families.

In their campaigns, they encourage participants to take to the streets and to wrap the trees outside their, offices, schools and public spaces with pink fabric. This move is focused on cancer care and cancer awareness in a visually stimulating way.

Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen says anyone can take part, as part of a group, a community, a business or as an individual. You can buy the material to wrap your trees for a minimum donation of R40 per metre. She says the funds are redirected to those in need residing in the town where it was generated.

The ‘Pink Trees for Pauline’ initiative was born in the town of Graaff-Reinet. Trees along the main roads were wrapped in pink material to raise cancer awareness. This was to inspire hope and to bring the initiative directly into communities.

The name of the organization comes from the story that Carol-Ann van Jaarsveld had lost both her mother and her grandmother to cancer. They were both named Pauline. Van Jaarsveld then had a dream to communicate the legacy of these phenomenal women. Carol-Ann turned it into an epic tale of hope, encouragement and belonging.

MORE ABOUT: Cancer Buddies

In 2012 Carol-ann van Jaarsveld, together with Adri van Nieuwenhuizen, a breast cancer survivor along with an Educational Psychologist, Dr Pam Ker, officially founded the organisation “Pink Trees for Pauline”.

The Colour Run will be held at the Blaauwklippen Wine Estate. It will be hosted on the 28th of February.