Women's Empowerment Cancer Advocacy Network - WE CAN

07/09/2020

A great opportunity!

UICC opens a call for applications to participate in a Project ECHO® breast cancer control course, delivered in partnership with the NCI Center for...

05/29/2020

Great article on the impact of Covid-19 on volunteer-based cancer organizations featuring WE CAN partner advocates Salomé Meyer, Benda Kithaka and Udie Soko

“Udie Soko, Benda Kithaka and Salomé Meyer all agree that the pandemic should encourage a greater concentration of forces within civil society to enhance collective action, and may reshape the way the cancer community mobilises to speak with a stronger voice. It could be an opportunity reinforce networks within the community and with other NGOs, UN agencies and the government, and build an even greater capacity to respond to the coronavirus and similar challenges.”

Women4Cancer Zambian Cancer Society Cancer Alliance

Cancer patients and organisations in Africa face increased challenges due to coronavirus in terms of access to affordable medicines, lack of knowledge, fundraising and community outreach for diagnoses and vaccinations.

05/01/2020

Very excited to share our article on patient advocacy! We are grateful to all the WE CAN partners and advocates across 4 continents who contributed to this research over the past few years. Thank you for sharing your experiences and views on patient advocacy. I hope we did justice to your efforts and that this research can support your work going forward. We look forward to hearing your thoughts. The article is open access.


Background

Breast cancer advocacy movements, driven by advocate‐led civil society organizations (CSOs), have proven to be a powerful force for the advancement of cancer control in high‐income countries (HICs). However, although patient advocacy movements are growing in low‐income and middle‐income countries (LMICs) in response to an increasing cancer burden, the experiences and needs of advocate‐led breast cancer CSOs in LMICs is understudied.

Methods

The authors conducted a qualitative study using in‐depth interviews and focus group discussions with 98 participants representing 23 LMICs in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, East and Southern Africa, and Latin America.

Results

Despite geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic differences, the common themes that emerged from the data across the 3 regions are strikingly similar: trust, knowledge gaps, stigma, sharing experiences, and sustainability. The authors identified common facilitators (training/education, relationship building/networking, third‐party facilitators, and communication) and barriers (mistrust, stigma, organizational fragility, difficulty translating HIC strategies) to establishing trust, collaboration, and advancing cancer advocacy efforts. To the authors' knowledge, the current study is the first to describe the role that coalitions and regional networks play in advancing breast cancer advocacy in LMICs across multiple regions.

Conclusions

The findings of the current study corroborate the importance of investing in 3‐way partnerships between CSOs, political leaders, and health experts. When provided with information that is evidence‐based and resource appropriate, as well as opportunities to network, advocates are better equipped to achieve their goals. The authors propose that support for CSOs focuses on building trust through increasing opportunities for engagement, disseminating best practices and evidence‐based information, and fostering the creation of platforms for partnerships and networks.

Uwocaso (Uganda Women's Cancer Support Organisation Women4Cancer Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA) Pink Space • ვარდისფერი სივრცე Armenian American Wellness Center Հենարան Հիմնադրամ / Henaran Foundation Breast Health Foundation Kenyan Network of Cancer Organizations - KENCO
Susan G. Komen Global Focus On Cancer UICC - Union for International Cancer Control ABC Global Alliance City Cancer Challenge

Breast cancer patient advocates face similar challenges globally. Investing in 3‐way partnerships between civil society organizations, political leaders, and health professionals as well as fostering...

05/01/2020

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04/07/2020

While we were terribly disappointed to postpone our WE CAN 2020 Summit in Malawi and nothing can replace our face-to-face meetings, it was heart warning to gather virtually, see familiar faces, and hear updates from Dr Gralow and advocates from Malawi and Nigeria. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

04/02/2020

"With the attention of people around the world on the threat of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, it can be hard to understand where your breast cancer treatment fits in. COVID-19 presents a threat to people’s lives, but so does breast cancer. If you are diagnosed or getting treatment, how do you balance the known threat of breast cancer against the potential threat of developing COVID-19?"

With the attention of people around the world on the threat of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, it can be hard to understand where your breast cancer treatment fits in. COVID-19 presents a threat to people’s lives, but so does breast cancer. If you are diagnosed or getting trea...

03/31/2020

Watch this new video in which Dr. Julie Gralow “separates the myths from the facts about coronavirus, shares reliable sources of information and what preventative measures to take to help minimize the risk of exposure and transmission.

Leading expert Dr. Julie Gralow explains the particular impact of COVID-19 on breast cancer care and shares preventative measures to help minimize the risk of exposure and transmission.

03/11/2020

It is with great sadness that we announce the cancellation of the 2020 WE CAN Summit in Malawi next week. Given the University of Washington travel ban and the current global environment and growing COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible to continue as planned. Also, given the fact that some participants may have underlying health issues and/or are in regular contact with patients, it is not safe to put people at increased risk at this time. We understand that this is disappointing. I want to recognize all of the time and hard work Maud and her team at WOCACA have committed to planning this year's summit. While we do not have new dates confirmed at this time, will be setting dates for the 2021 summit in Malawi very soon and will keep you informed.

We are considering holding 1-2 zoom sessions (possibly the next two Thursdays) in the coming weeks to give participants a chance to share what they have been doing. If this is of interest, please let us know. If you have thoughts or suggestions on what would be most useful for you (content, timing, anything) please do not hesitate to share your ideas.

Most importantly, stay healthy.

02/28/2020

Congratulations Uwocaso (Uganda Women's Cancer Support Organisation

Uganda Women Cancer Support Organization(UWOCASO) in partnership with Uganda Cycling Federation have launched a Women's Day race. The race slated

02/20/2020

Over 58% of breast cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Check out our blog post to learn what we are doing to reduce disparities in breast cancer outcomes globally. Join the campaign at www.bci25.org

About UICC"The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) unites and supports the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, to promote greater equity, and to ensure that cancer control continues to be a priority in the world health and development agenda." Read more

02/17/2020

Grant Opportunity: The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been working over the recent decade to support common Member States in improving cancer control and expand access to effective, safe and sustainable cancer diagnostics and treatment services. This extensive collaboration has led to the realization that there was an urgent need to further expand the IsDB-IAEA partnership to forcefully tackle the issue of women’s cancers.

Engage is a digital hub which will accelerate economic and social progress in the developing world through the power of science, technology and innovation.

02/17/2020

Good news from Uganda!

Uganda's only machine broke in 2016, leaving hundreds of patients without adequate care.