CN&CO to run PR for ProjectBRA

Claire McFarlane, a South African-born Australian, has a moving story to tell. In 1999 she was brutally raped in Paris. It took 10 years for police to arrest her attacker, who ended up spending only four years behind bars.

As part of her healing process, Claire chose to share her personal experience, and has become a global advocate for survivors of rape. On 18 July 2016, Claire will begin a quest to run 16km of beach, barefoot where possible, in every coastal country of the world, within three years.

To put this into perspective, that’s 186 beaches, or 86% of the countries in the world, totalling some 3 000km all in all.

She’s doing it as a global campaign of peaceful action to give women who have been raped a voice, remove the taboo around rape, raise funds for healing programmes, and ultimately open a dialogue for lasting change.

“It’s called ProjectBRA for two reasons,” says Claire. “Firstly, the BRA stands for ‘Beach Run for Awareness’. But also, a bra is something that supports women, and this is exactly what we hope to do through this campaign.”

CN&CO is excited to be working with Claire and handling the PR for this campaign, which will touch all corners of the globe over the next three years.

“As we launch into 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, this is a particularly fitting time for us to be getting involved in a project such as this,” says CN&CO’s PR guru Gabbi Rego. “It’s really exciting for us to be working with Claire and supporting her in spreading her message across the globe.”

Claire’s first run will be in South Africa on 18 July 2016, exactly 17 years after her ordeal in Paris. Her last run is scheduled to take place in France in 2019.

Read more about Claire’s story in the Saturday Star and tune into 5FM on Wednesday 25 November at 11:15 when she will be in studio with Poppy Ntshongwana.