June 18, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Vitiligo Purple Fun Day – Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF) is hosting its Vitiligo Awareness Day (a memorial to Michael Jackson) at the Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday, June 25, from 4pm to 8pm.
It is a day set aside to create extensive awareness on Vitiligo and a day dedicated to all living with Vitiligo globally. A memorial to Michael Jackson, who lived with Vitiligo till his death and who managing his Vitiligo became one the most controversial issues.
Dress code for this event is Purple. Many Nigerian celebrities has confirmed attendance and still counting.
Compere – Steve Onu (Yaw of Wazobia FM)
Confirmed are -,
• Julius Agwu
• Funny Bone
• Senator
• De one
• Xplicit Dance groups,
• RGK
• DJ Stramborella
• Fashion Walk with Damian Exclusive and
• Publicizing of our awareness Video Productions on Nigerian TV Stations and hopefully Kenya on 25th June. The production -
i. More to Life – A Documentary on Vitiligo and
ii. Tales of Vitiligo – TV Fillers
According to the Executive Director, Ogo Maduewesi the lead advocate and campaigner of World Vitiligo Day – Vitiligo Awareness Day is a great need because Vitiligo is a very disfiguring, devastating condition which can affect anyone. In a society obsessed by appearance and where physical appearance is celebrated you can feel just helpless when your appearance is threatened, often stigmatized, traumatized, and ostracized. Children are frequently teased and ridiculed by their peers. Adults experience low self-esteem, job discrimination and it interferes with relationships and marriage prospects.
The current therapy for Vitiligo focuses on halting the Progression of the depigmentation with topical immunomodulators and encouraging repigmentation with phototherapy. However, success rates of these therapies is dramatically low, variable, and not permanent. Therefore, new therapeutic approaches are warranted. With many Vitiligo patients responding poorly to the current therapies, more focus should be directed to improve non-medical consequences of Vitiligo that include
Extensive awareness, enlightenment and education,
camouflages make-ups,
self-image support,
Availability and access to Vitiligo information for all,
General support and care, to name a few.
Above all extensive Vitiligo education, awareness and enlightenment campaign is on top priority for acceptance of the victims, Vitiligo patients needs to be accepted and treated equally without any form of stigma, discrimination and segregation to enable them take advantage of other self-help like camouflage make-up, image building programs etc. Awareness will bring about a better understanding of the general public, attention and care within the medical community and Positive living of the patients.
VITSAF is a not-for-profit patient – driven organisation incorporated in Nigeria and working around Africa, Passionately concerned about the needs of persons living with Vitiligo, helping ameliorate the agony people suffer as a result of turning from black to white.
We invite you all to join us in Vitiligo Purple Fun Day a memorial to Michael Jackson (most famous man that lived with Vitiligo and widely misunderstood about his Vitiligo)
This event is proudly supported by Julius Agwu Foundation for Youth (JAFFY), Silverbird Galleria, Dr. Femi Olaleye (WISH FOR AFRICA, UK) and many more.
– Ends -
For more information please contact Ogo @ Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation, 51 Oyekan Road, Off Akerele Street, Surulere – Lagos Tel: 0702 516 5280, 0806 363 8030, Email: vitsupng@gmail.com, Website: www.vitsaf.org
Monday May 30, 2011 – For immediate release
Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF) announces its re-launch of Vitiligo ‘Project 1,000’
Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF) announces the re-launch of its ‘Project 1,000’ a fundraising project to raise funds for its operation, huge projects and replications.
According to the Executive Director, Ogo Maduewesi, ‘Project 1,000’ is a strategic fundraising project where we appeal and anticipate for voluntary donations of minimum of N1, 000 from individuals and all stakeholders to the Vitiligo cause.
Vitiligo is a multifactorial skin depigmenting disorder with an etiology (the cause and progress of the disorder) not well understood. Most devastating for the patient with Vitiligo are the social, psychological, emotional and sexual ramifications of these disfiguring disorders.
We truly offer desired help and a shoulder to lean on! We are appealing for funds for our pressing Needs to carry out our projects and replication of our work across Africa. Because we believe in everyday people, we are appealing for minimum of N1, 000 from everyone to enable us impact more lives positively as truly our work goes beyond just persons with Vitiligo, but anyone with image alteration (the disfigured) etc.
With many Vitiligo patients responding poorly to the current therapies, the negative effects, struggle on how to live with such disfiguring conditions in a society where it is still misunderstood due to beliefs, we are directing more focus to the following with the funds -:
- Setting up our one stop place for Vitiligo (for West Africans) –A state of the art Vitiligo Resource Centre for Vitiligo, General Skin Health, the disfigured to improve non-medical consequences of Vitiligo that include, make-ups & camouflages, self-image support, Vitiligo lifestyle products, to name a few.
- Securing and running our Secretariat
- Extensive Awareness, Enlightenment and Education
- Establishing VITSAF Vitiligo Support Groups (VVSG) offices in 6geopolitical zones in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya
- General Operating Support
Ogo Maduewesi, the Executive Director calls on everyone, philanthropic concerned members of the public to please support us with a minimum of N1, 000. We have tried to make it easy for everyone to donate online with ATM cards on www.vitsaf.org/donate.php, it’s highly secured and safe. One can also make direct deposit into our GTBank Acc name – Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation, Acc No. 213 775274 110 and for Dollar – 213 775274 210
VITSAF is a not-for-profit patient – driven organisation incorporated in Nigeria and working around Africa, concerned and passionate about Blacks turning White. The only Vitiligo, Skin and the Disfigured focused organisation in West Africa presently. The Foundation was founded about three years ago with intending headquarters in Abuja, field office in Lagos, Vitiligo Support group offices in six geopolitical zones across West Africa and beyond.
I hope you will JOIN us as we unite our collective Voices and Resources. Even though there are many endeavours upon us, we are confident that together we will succeed in accomplishing our goals.
