As part of activities to climax this year’s breast cancer awareness month, the Airforce Wives Organisation (AWO) of the Ghana Air Force has organised a breast cancer awareness talk and free voluntary breast screening exercise for women (wives, lady officers and air women) of the Armed Forces at Burma Camp in Accra.

Throughout the month of October, which is recognised world-wide as the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the leadership of AWO embarked on a campaign to create awareness about breast cancer and educate members about the disease, its prevention and cure using various channels including social media throughout the month. According to the President of AWO, Mrs. Hilary Arko-Dadzie, the campaign was part of her organisation’s effort to support the fight against breast cancer.

“In AWO, we aim to educate and empower our women to promote early detection and make sure that they are getting the care they need. We hope that every woman will at least be well informed about Breast Cancer and take protective and precautionary measures to ensure that they are breast cancer free”

She continued “an average of one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime – a total of one woman every three minutes and about 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. In Ghana, it is heartbreaking to know that there are many people who have breast cancer but do not even know it, because they cannot afford a mammogram.

We must all take action to spread the message on early detection and treatment to protect ourselves and those we care about”.

The resident surgeon of the department of surgery at 37 Military Hospital, Major Clement Akwei , leader of the medical team who conducted the screening exercise disclosed during the educational seminar that following a healthy lifestyle, including keeping one’s body weight in normal range, being physically active, minimizing or totally avoiding alcohol intake were some of the measures of lowering one’s risk of developing breast cancer.

According to him, doctors advocate for early detection of breast cancer because that saves lives. He advised women to develop the habit of regularly conducting self-breast examination so they could detect any changes that occur in their breast. He further recommended for women to report any such changes to their doctors at the earliest possible time so that the necessary examination will be conducted in order to prevent the disease from spreading.

Mrs. Margaret Sampson-Oje, senior patron of AWO and wife of The Chief of the Defense staff on her part encouraged members to take their health seriously so as to fully provide the needed support for their family and society.

Group Captain Fredrick Bekoe, the Airforce Accra Base Commander, expressed his support and assistance to the executives of the organization and commended them for organizing this useful event. senior patrons of AWO, including Mrs. Betty Nagai, Mrs. Nafisa Kadri, Mrs. Esi Nyadodul, and Mrs. Rosette Okyere- Bekoe were present at the event.

AWO is an organization whose membership comprise of all wives of personnel of the Ghana Air Force. The organisation has been in existence for the past twenty-five (25) years with branches at the Tamale and Takoradi bases of the Ghana Air Force.

AWO’s main aim is to provide a forum for meaningful and fruitful interactions for its members to aid them better manage their lives and families whilst their husbands are away or busy serving our dear nation Ghana.