The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) has been awarded a grant by the Australian High Commission Direct Aid Program to fund a multi-country cervical cancer prevention initiative aimed at building the capacity of key Caribbean civil society organisations to respond more effectively to the community-based needs for cervical cancer prevention, treatment, and control.
The Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS), Belize Cancer Society, Dominica Cancer Society, Grenada Cancer Society, and the Cancer Institute of Guyana are the five regional projects that will benefit from the US$112,800 grant.
“We are very happy and grateful to be benefactors of this very worthwhile initiative,” said Yulit Gordon, executive director, JCS.
Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Jamaican women, with an incidence of 27.9 per 100,000 and a mortality rate of 15.8 per 100,000 women.
“We have not won the battle against cervical cancer as not enough of our women are being tested due to lack of awareness, fear, failure to take action, and lack of financial support,” shared Gordon.
“The funds from this programme will significantly improve our community-intervention programmes as we will be able to work through the churches and community groups to bring Pap smear screening to women in those underserved communities who would not otherwise have access to this service. The fact is, through an effective screening programme and early detection, it is indeed possible to achieve the objective of having no woman in Jamaica die from cervical cancer in the foreseeable future.”
