Link Community Development, a nonprofit organization that focuses on girl child education in deprived areas has organized a free breast cancer screening for 101 women; especially teenage mothers in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region.
The initiative, according to the Project Coordinator of Link Community Development, Faara Joachim seeks to create awareness of breast cancer as well as teach teenage mothers the importance of personal hygiene.
He said, “When you interact with some of these girls, they often talk about how they usually put money on their breast, and as an organization that focuses on girl child development, we deemed it necessary to use this month to teach them on personal hygiene. And by so doing, we get experts from the health unit to impact knowledge creation for these teenage mothers as well as nurses that will be doing the free screening for them.”
Speaking on the importance and dangers of breast cancer, the Nabdam District Health Information Officer from the Ghana Health Services, Agandaa Sheila used the medium to call on stakeholders to be circumspect in knowledge creation of breast cancer awareness amongst women especially those in the rural areas.
Mrs. Agandaa stressed that though the Upper East Region has achieved a milestone in the fight against breast cancer, women especially teenage mothers in the rural areas still lack the knowledge of personal hygiene.
“As people and experts, we need to channel our attention to the awareness of breast cancer and its dangers. Most people still hold the norm that breast cancer is a traditional thing-; it is only when a witch or wizard catches you that you can get it and will further seek traditional healing to the neglect of Orthodox medicine. Which to me is bad and dangerous? So we need more education.”
Appreciating the kind support by the organization, some of the beneficiary girls assured that they will use the knowledge gained to impact their colleagues when they get to their various communities.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHZ|Moses Apiah/Ghana
