Ethiopia Determined to Fight Cervical CANCER
On August 31, 2019, Pathfinder International, Mathiwos Wondu Ethiopian Cancer Society and the Federal Ministry of Health partnered to organize an orientation on the topic of Cervical Cancer Prevention. The program was prepared for Rotary leaders which comprised Interactors, Rotaractors and Rotarians. Recognizing the lack of awareness on the topic, the event aimed to inform the Rotary community on the topic. The orientation covered a wide variety of issues regarding cervical cancer. As the name of the ailment was not new for the attendees, few were aware of the seriousness or the severity.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) ”Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women with an estimated 570,000 new cases in 2018 representing 6.6% of all female cancers. Approximately 90% of deaths from cervical cancer occurred in low- and middle-income countries.”
Cervical cancer usually in most cases has no early symptoms and in most cases the disease is detected late for effective treatment. The best way to combat the disease is to promote early screening in young females as a precautionary step to decrease the likelihood of being exposed to the disease. Some of the main provisions any individual can take include;
Vaccination (only provided to girls aged 14 in Ethiopia)
Effective regular screening of women and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions
Avoidance of multiple sexual partners and intercourse at an early age
Avoiding smoking
Presidents of Interact clubs that attended the orientations were stunned by the event. Like most participants, they were aware of cervical cancer but not it’s magnitude. By the end of the briefing the group took an oath to raise awareness and take all their female family members to get preliminary screenings. Cervical cancer talks became part of Interact club meetings and the presidents’ shared what they learned to their club members. They encouraged their own members to take the same oath: to play an active role and share what they learned in their respective communities. Some clubs already started planning for awareness programs to be held on World Cancer Day.
The orientation didn’t just affect the clubs that had a chance to be a part of it, but the homes and lives of every participant. One partaker said: “I have told girls in my family to get screened for cervical cancer and talked to almost every girl I know about [it]” The one-day event organized to inform a few people will reverberate through the active conversations that continue to be sparked by Interact clubs. As the knowledge every member received keeps getting passed down, the ripple effect this orientation started will have a significant effect in the fight against cervical cancer.
Article written by Semaria Negash Kebedom – President, Interact Club of School of Tomorrow, Addis Ababa – Ethiopia
