Health News of Friday, 16 October 2020

Source: Noelyne Mensah, Contributor

IGRED’s Pink October breast cancer awareness event

October is a month for breast cancer awarenes October is a month for breast cancer awarenes

To commemorate this year's Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, IGRED – the Institute for Gender Research, Education and Development, is organizing a one-day massive event to create awareness.

The event is scheduled to take place on the 24th of October, 2020, from 7 am to 1 pm at the Ayikai Doblo school park within the Amasaman municipality.

The theme for this year is; 'Early detection; Ending stigmatization'.

According to the Director for Programmes and Operations, Rhoda Omari Obraw, it has been ascertained that many of the female residents in the selected localities have had little or no exposure to the relevant information about the breast cancer condition and admittedly, such paucity of information ultimately causes late detection and stigmatization which culminates in avoidable loss of lives and livelihoods.

Major highlights of the event include a musical float to kindle a community spirit unified to fight the disease and discourage stigmatization, through the principal streets of the localities. The musical march will lead to an educational durbar, where experienced health professionals will do a group break-out to impact knowledge on the topic and conduct free breast cancer screening. Education is targeted to reach about 1,000 community members of both sexes and about 300 women are targeted for a free screening in the duration of the event, based on the capacity of volunteering health care professionals.

IGRED aims to afford these women the opportunity to receive the relevant sensitization and information, to obtain free screening to detect any signs and to educate them about eschewing all forms of stigmatization against persons who have survived the condition.

IGRED is a non-profit organization whose principal concern is the holistic welfare and improvement of the lives of women and children through advocacy, public education, qualitative research, and other development initiatives.