Project Flamingo Launches “Make Room for Her” Campaign on Mandela Day 2025
- Project Flamingo Team
- 24 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Project Flamingo Launches “Make Room for Her” Campaign on Mandela Day 2025.
South Africa – 19th July 2025
Project Flamingo, the NPO team that has performed over 1,800 breast cancer surgeries in South Africa’s public healthcare system, continues to bridge critical gaps in cancer care. On Saturday, 19 July 2025, Project Flamingo will activate its services across five sites in the Western and Eastern Cape and perform nearly 40 life-saving breast cancer surgeries for women in the public healthcare system who are currently waiting for treatment, a record-breaking initiative motivated by its latest campaign: Make Room for Her.
This large-scale intervention will take place at selected public hospitals in these provinces, where Project Flamingo already delivers action-driven solutions to address the backlog of surgeries and the growing need for breast cancer care. Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women in their lifetime, and as the number of cases continues to rise, the public healthcare system and its resources remain inadequate and incapable of treating the growing number of patients. The Make Room for Her campaign is Project Flamingo’s latest urgent response to this national health challenge.
The campaign is an ongoing initiative from the organisation and a step forward in ensuring that women battling breast cancer no longer face the harsh reality of delayed or denied care due to long waiting periods for treatments, underfunded budgets, and overlooked voices. With the slogan "We’re making room - in hospitals, in budgets, in conversations - for her," Project Flamingo aims to restore dignity, prioritise women’s health, and tackle the systemic barriers to equitable cancer treatment in South Africa.
The Make Room for Her campaign, Project Flamingo’s focus in the coming months, is a call to action for all South Africans to recognise that cancer care should never be left to chance. It is an urgent reminder that, despite the personal and financial costs, ensuring dignified, timely access to treatment is not a privilege, but a basic human right.
Megan Jane Jacobs (35), a patient who received her surgery at last year’s Mandela Day initiative, says, “I will forever be grateful to the Project Flamingo team and the incredible doctors and nurses for what they have done for me. They didn’t just perform a surgery; they held me through one of the most vulnerable and life-altering moments of my life. Their compassion, skill, and commitment didn’t just treat my diagnosis; they helped restore a part of my womanhood and gave me back my confidence and hope. I’m not just a survivor, I was given a second chance at life.”
“This Mandela Day, we’re not just commemorating a rich history left by a remarkable man - we’re changing lives,” says Dr Liana Roodt, CEO and Founder of Project Flamingo. “There is no greater way to honour a great leader than to proactively mirror his legacy of positive change. We are creating space for women to be heard, to be treated, and to reclaim their health and dignity. In doing so, we honour Madiba’s legacy through action rooted in compassion and a commitment to justice. Let’s all ‘Make room for Her’, and for each other, by the way we talk, think and act. Timely and dignified cancer care is not a privilege; it is a basic human right that should be protected and claimed."
Beyond surgeries
Project Flamingo’s Make Room for Her campaign emphasizes a comprehensive approach to breast cancer care. From life-saving surgeries to diagnostic support, emotional care, and advocacy, the campaign aims to create room for women at every stage of their treatment journey.
“The knock-on effect of delayed points of care, from diagnostics to all forms of treatments, is life-threatening,” says Lou Stone, COO of Project Flamingo. “If a patient has to wait two months for a CT scan, or miss their chemotherapy treatment window because an essential scan is not available, the emotional and physical effects are devastating. We are changing this.”
Project Flamingo calls on everyone to join us in this vital mission by partnering or donating to help fund critical equipment, resources, and programs that support not only the surgeries but the holistic care that women deserve. With the support of the community, Make Room for Her will continue to expand its impact, ensuring that every woman in South Africa has access to life-saving care and the dignity she deserves.
For more information or to contribute to Make Room for Her, please visit www.projectflamingo.co.za.
About Project Flamingo: Project Flamingo is a South African non-profit organisation committed to providing action-driven, holistic support for women battling breast cancer in the Public Healthcare sector. Through volunteer-run surgery lists, patient support services, and health system strengthening initiatives, Project Flamingo works to provide timely and dignified care to those who need it most.
Media Contact:
Lou Stone
COO
084 248 3200
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