On Monday, 27 May 2019, Bank Windhoek in collaboration with Multiple Sclerosis Namibia (WO293), joined forces with MS International Federation (MSIF) to commemorate World MS Day.
In its tenth year, the World MS Day is an annual campaign that aims to raise awareness of the condition and to support and connect the 2.3 million people living with MS worldwide.
Bank Windhoek staff members wore orange outfits or initiated any ideas highlighting the colour orange in support of the Day. “The theme this year is My Invisible MS (#MyInvisibleMS), which provides a voice to people living with MS to share the invisible symptoms that they experience and to express what they want people to know about MS, giving others an insight into its unseen impact on their everyday life," said Bank Windhoek's Wellness Consultant, Marjolize Scholtz.
MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. In Namibia the prevalence rate is around 0.001 percent of the total population which brings the number to 2400 Namibians affected by MS. “At the moment there are only 40 known cases. This is because a new diagnosis will cost about N$60,000 for that first month, which is including the medication," said founder of MS Namibia, Bianca Özcan.
World MS Day is officially marked on 30 May each year when events and campaigns are hosted throughout the month of May. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 31, with around twice as many women diagnosed as men.
Visit www.msnamibia.org to donate towards this worthy cause or to get registered on the MS Namibia registry. “No one needs to face Multiple Sclerosis alone," Scholtz concluded.
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