From an educational sports bra to 10,000 pink ribbon pins sold, discover how Check Know Prevent is supporting women’s breast health.
South Africa (05 November 2026) – What if something as ordinary as taking off your sports bra could serve as a reminder to check your breasts? That’s the thinking behind an innovative South African sports bra developed by Jenny de Oliveira from the Cape Town-based non-profit organisation Check Know Prevent (CKP), which is finding a practical way to bring breast health awareness into women’s everyday lives.
The organisation’s trademarked educational bra looks and feels like an ordinary medium-support sports bra, but there’s something special hidden inside its lining. Designed in collaboration with a bra specialist, it features illustrated instructions showing women how to perform a breast self-check and identify changes that may need professional attention.
The idea is wonderfully simple. A school talk might last an hour, and a pamphlet might disappear into a drawer, but the bra offers a regular reminder every time a woman takes it off. When we first shared the story in 2022, we loved the idea!
For CKP CEO Debbie Gebhardt, this kind of everyday education is an important part of making early detection more accessible.
CKP works with young people and communities to build awareness around breast and cervical cancer, encourage breast self-awareness, promote HPV vaccination and provide access to clinical breast checks. Every girl participating in one of its sponsored school activations receives an educational bra, helping introduce the importance of breast health from a young age.
But CKP’s work doesn’t stop at education or screening. The organisation believes that early detection loses its value if women cannot access the treatment and support they need afterwards.
“We don’t simply refer a woman and wish her well. We walk the path with her,” explains Gebhardt.
That can mean finding the right referral, helping women navigate the public healthcare system, arranging transport to treatment, providing food and care packs during chemotherapy or helping families understand frightening medical terminology. Sometimes, it simply means sitting beside a woman who needs somebody there.
Related Stories
There's a New Thrift Store Opening in Claremont!
Dutch Hiker and Injured Beachgoer Airlifted to Safety in Busy Saturday RescuesThis commitment to practical support was also behind CKP’s October campaign, which challenged South Africans to help sell 50,000 pink ribbon pins at R20 each. The aim was to turn small contributions into meaningful assistance for women navigating cancer treatment.
While the campaign did not reach its ambitious target, 10,000 pins were sold, representing thousands of opportunities to start conversations about breast cancer and contribute towards support such as transport, nutritional assistance, post-surgery care and further investigations.
For CKP, the sports bra and the pink ribbon pins are different ways of delivering the same message. Its guiding belief is simple: check your body, know what is normal for you and prevent delays in accessing treatment by speaking up when something changes.
Breast cancer awareness should never be limited to one month of the year, and women deserve more than a reminder to check. They deserve support when they do.
To learn more about Check Know Prevent and its educational bra, visit the website here.
by 
