Breast Cancer Research Foundation
The mission of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation is to achieve a cure and prevention for breast cancer via the provision of critical funding for transnational and innovative clinical research at the leading cancer centers around the globe. The organization also strives to spread public awareness about good breast health. The target population of this organization is the women who are on the risk of having breast cancer, are suffering from it or have already recovered from the life-threatening disease. Almost 91 of the total donations go to awareness programs and research grants taking place at different cancer centers around the world. Most of the projects that are funded concentrate on the prevention and prediction of breast cancer in women. The BCRF works indirectly in many nations across the globe as it provides funding for life-saving research at different medical centers and universities (The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 2010).
In the United States, a woman dies because of breast cancer every 13 minutes. There is a trend of sleeping fewer hours in a day in the United States which leads to lack of sleep. Late night shows on the television, heavy drinking and the internet has led to the lack of sleep in the population. The population has generally become less resistant to diseases and illnesses because of the lack of sleep. Most of the population in the United States lives in urban cities which have been densely populated. This leads to the sick city syndrome that encourages the spread of diseases (Anthony, 2001). Around 10 of the total population is unemployed because of the financial crisis because of which many families are under a lot of stress (United States Department of Labor, 2010).
The infant mortality rate in the United States is around 6 deaths per 1000 live births. The life expectancy at birth is 78.24 years. The average fertility rate in the United States is 2.06 children born per woman. More than 79 of the total population is white, 13 are from the African American origins, 4 are Asians and the remaining are the natives and Hispanic (CIA, 2009). There has been increase in air, noise and marine pollution since the phenomenon of Globalization started. There is a rise in the overall temperature in the country of America because of overuse of fossil fuels and global warming. The climatic conditions in the United States are getting worse every day as the coasts are facing threats of cyclones and storms, whereas the inner cities face threats of heavy snowfalls and flood. Most of the people make their living working in offices, retails stores or owning their small businesses.
With the advent of globalization in the 19th Century, the United States of America started to use the full capacity of the available resources and started the hunt for the hidden resources in the land. The multinationals were not stopped from exploiting the natural resources of the country. This was done in order to stay ahead of other nations and remain competitive n the market. No wonder the United State is much ahead of the rest of the countries in terms of technology and is a major provider of technological items to other countries. All these factors have contributed to the current lifestyle and culture which includes consumption of junk food, watching late night shows on television, attending parties, owning at least 2 to 3 cars per family.
Models of Development
The model of Human Development has been employed in the BCRF as its strategy works for the welfare of human beings. The organization primarily invests in the research for the prevention and prediction of breast cancer is women. An organization that addresses the need of improvement in the human welfare in terms of health, personal security, safety or education is an organization following the model of Human Development. In this model, the investment on the human welfare should result in the improvement of human lives and hence it leads to economic development. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation also has a similar model as it invests in researching the ways to reduce the breast cancer in women and hence reducing the number of deaths occurring from breast cancer. The human capital will be saved from deaths and hence there will be economic development in the region.
Approach to DevelopmentThe approach to development that BCRF has employed is the top-down development approach. BCRF appears to be an example of top-down approach as it is a US based organization and has its roots in many countries around the world. Many projects are funded and sponsored by BCRF in other countries than the US. This cannot be an example of grassroots approach as it was not initiated locally by the government.
BCRF seems to be a case of development aggression as the research projects are imposed in different countries for the prevention and prediction of breast cancer in women. The free, prior and informed consent of the people was never addressed in the case of BCRF. Although the organization does not violate the human rights of the local people but it does put some hindrances in the livelihood of the affected people. The development aggressive organizations like BCRF contribute nothing to the prevention or alleviation of poverty.
No elements of social capital are detected in the case of BCRF as there are no social ties, trust and cooperation between the organization and the affected locals in any countries.
Cultural Fit
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation does provide a good cultural fit for the target community as the researches are funded for the local medical centers. For example, a BCRF researcher, Fumni Olopade, has reported of researching on the breast cancer in young women of African background. Therefore the research and awareness programs are designed to fit the cultural differences in each locality the organization operates.
Critical Development Anthropology
The organization does take a critical development anthropology approach as the locals do not find any benefits of the results of the sponsored research. Most of the research results are used to generate reports which are sent back to the homeland, the United States. There will be some of the negative effects of the researches done on the locals as their lives will be disturbed and their privacy will be intruded. In this case, the critical development anthropology approach might not be successful because of no support of the locals. In the case where the local people feel that the project is good for them, the perspective might be beneficial. It is important to apply cultural relativism and holism to the specific development issues facing the locals. In the case of the dam that was built on Senegal River, the anthropologists worked in collaboration with the local engineers to achieve the goal of alternative management plan for the flow of water. In this case, the approach was of critical development but beneficial for all.
The organization is addressing some of the major issues in the society that will not only save the lives of many women but will also prevent many from inheriting the disease. Many awareness programs such as brochures, pink press newsletter, videos and testimonials are used to inform the locals about the growth and activities of the organization. These programs together with some major events such as concerts and live shows, BCRF remind the locals that the women over 40 years of age should get a mammogram every year.
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