This past Wednesday, Dr. Deidre de Silva, global leader of the WSO Stroke Awareness Campaign, participated in our Webinar Series with a presentation on the new World Stroke Campaign and the importance of stroke awareness.
Dr. Deidre de Silva emphasized that stroke is often underestimated and overlooked as a health concern, particularly in lower-income countries where stroke and stroke prevention are not well-known. Therefore, increasing stroke awareness is crucial. The main goals of the World Stroke Campaign are therefore to promote awareness, initiate changes in stroke treatment and prevention, and improve the quality of life for stroke survivors. The talk emphasized three key points:
She also highlighted the impressive success of the World Stroke Day 2022, with 93 events held in 31 countries and a campaign reach of 3.1 billion. Various activities, such as illuminating important buildings, walks, and social media presence, contributed to its impact.
To further support the campaign, a toolkit will be released soon, providing resources like brand guides, website materials, email banners, social media content, logos, posters, information leaflets, and campaign images and videos.
Dr. Deidre de Silva also mentioned some additional ideas to enhance the campaign, such as involving social media influencers and reaching out to the community through initiatives like #GreaterThan Active Sundays, community health information, screening events, and landmark light-ups. Some of the most important lessons she has learned through her experience in stroke awareness though are the importance of teamwork, persistence, and trust that any event, no matter how small, can have a great impact and has the potential to grow and reach millions.
Additionally, Dr. Raju Paudel provided an update on the Awareness Campaigns in Nepal, which involve multiple activities per month in various cities targeting different age groups, including elderly homes, schools, clubs, etc. To maximize the campaign’s reach, English campaign materials have been translated into Nepali and various local languages providing a basis for great success.
Thank you to Dr. Deidre de Silva, Dr. Raju Paudel and everyone involved and participating in the webinar! If you are interested in listening to the lecture, you can find the recorded version here.