Lance Armstrong stepped down as chairman of the Livestrong cancer support charity he founded, as Nike Inc dropped their sponsorship over the doping scandal. Livestrong Vice Chairman Jeff Garvey will assume the new role as chairman while Armstrong will continue to serve on the board.
In a statement, Armstrong said the foundation has “helped spur a cultural shift in how the world views cancer survivors.”
While the implications of the news might not be fully known, according to Reuters, so far, donations have actually increased despite the scandal.
Armstrong gained international prominence as a world champion cyclist, winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times between the years of 1999 and 2005. Armstrong contracted testicular cancer in October 1996 and shortly thereafter founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997. Read about Armstrong’s story.
The organisation launched the Livestrong brand in 2003 as it widened its cancer patient-support services. The foundation is now known by both names and provides cancer information, resources and support and has served 2.5 million people.
Livestrong activities in Africa
The bulk of the foundation’s activities on the continent have been targeted toward South Africa through the Survivor Empowerment Initiative, in collaboration with partners Campaigning for Cancer and the American Cancer Society, as well as key local organisations.
The goal of the initiative was to help bring visibility to gaps in cancer control and highlight the need for cancer to be a stronger priority on South Africa’s health agenda.
In May 2011, a national call to action was issued at the Voice of Cancer Survivor Forum for South Africa. The South African government responded by making a formal commitment to address these issues and make cancer a priority on the nation’s health agenda, according to the foundation’s website.
The foundation also launched a pilot campaign in South Africa to raise awareness of the global cancer burden and reduce the stigma associated with cancer through culturally relevant and targeted messaging.
Working with implementing partner John Snow Inc. (JSI) and local non-profit and advocacy groups, the campaign raised awareness about the disease, improved knowledge about treatment and challenged the stigma that surrounds cancer, according to the foundation’s website.
Three areas were selected in which to target the national initiative: Mdantsane (Eastern Cape), Khayelitsha (Western Cape) and Soweto (Gauteng). Over a period of 18 months beginning in April 2010, the campaign conducted focus groups and interviews, empowered survivors to share their stories, held community events, launched a door-to-door campaign, trained community health workers and media figures, implemented a SMS-text campaign, hosted a radio call-in show, and created TV and radio public service announcements (PSA).
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