The Avon Walk Around the World for Breast Cancer began in 2005 bringing grassroots activism to a global scale. This worldwide series of events began mobilizing hundreds of thousands of people across the globe raising money and breaking down barriers to awareness and access to care while working to eradicate the disease. To date, over 1 million people have participated in raising more than $10 million for the breast cancer cause since the global series began.

Avon Walk Around the World events are linked by the Global Connection Ribbon, which is the symbolic emotional component that connects breast cancer survivors and participants across the world. The ribbon is a powerful symbol of the connection to each other and shared determination to turn every diagnosis into a story of survival. Avon Walk Around the World events include the Global Connection Ribbon ceremony, where this special ribbon is passed from one breast cancer survivor to another uniting all survivors and this global community.

The need for continued awareness and funding for the breast cancer cause is great. While advances have been made, breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is responsible for 502,000 deaths per year worldwide.

"Breast cancer does not discriminate between nations or ethnicities, but both the understanding and support of the issue of breast cancer varies greatly country to country," states Carol Kurzig, President of the Avon Foundation for Women. "By mobilizing people worldwide we are helping break barriers to awareness and access to care as we work to eradicate the disease."