A graph highlighting the cancer incidents among females in Tanzania.
Author: Prosper Mbelwa, Programs Manager, FAME
Cervical cancer by the numbers
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of female cancer in Tanzania.
In Tanzania, there are almost 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed every year and more than 65% of these are fatal (Bruni et al., 2018).
In April, the FAME community outreach team embarked on a journey to Chemchem village with the purpose of delivering cervical cancer education and screening services. The schedule consisted of dedicating one day for education and another day for screening. Situated in the Karatu district, Chemchem is approximately 15 km away from FAME. Hospital. The name of the village, derived from Swahili, translates to "spring" due to the presence of a river that runs through it, accompanied by several water springs that branch out.
Despite its seemingly scattered population and limited number of houses, the village leader informed us that there are actually over 5,000 residents living in Chemchem.
The primary economic activities of the villagers revolve around agriculture and small-scale farming, which involve the rearing of cows, sheep, and goats.
A group of women collecting water from the river.
The FAME team crossing a road damaged by the heavy rains.
The FAME team crossing a road damaged by the heavy rains.
The day began with a light shower as it was the rainy season. We decided to wait for the rain to subside before beginning our journey, as our roads tend to become muddy during rainfall. After traveling for a while, we were taken aback to find that one of the bridges was broken, making it impossible for our car to cross. We were left with two options: either turn back and walk to our destination, carrying all our equipment, or take a boda bodas (motorcycles) to complete our journey. We chose to proceed with the motorcycles, despite the road being slightly slippery.
To our surprise, we received an invitation to attend the village meeting prior to the session. The meeting took place by the river shores, where over 500 villagers, both men and women, had gathered. As they say, there is no rush in Africa, so it took longer than expected. After the meeting, the women who were supposed to listen to us hurried home to prepare dinner and tend to other chores. Still, we were able to meet with about 30 women who stayed behind after the meeting and were curious, asking numerous questions.
They expressed gratitude for bringing education about cervical cancer, as they had no prior knowledge. They acknowledged that they may be walking while sick, emphasizing the importance of the information we shared. Following the session, we requested these women to become our ambassadors and spread awareness among those who missed the training, encouraging them to attend the screening the next day. We retraced our steps to where we had parked our car, accompanied by motorcycles, and fortunately, the road was gradually drying up.
The FAME team conducting cervical cancer education to a group of women in Chemchem village.
The next day, we returned for the screening. Based on our training experience, we did not anticipate a large turnout, as we had only spoken to a few women. However, upon arrival, we were taken aback by the number of women eagerly waiting for us. We promptly began registering them and ended up with 92 women registered and ready for screening. The ambassadors from the day before had done an amazing job spreading the word.
Realizing that it would be impossible to screen all of the women in a single day, we had to send some women back home and plan for a return visit to complete the screenings. On that first screening day, we managed to screen 28 women. However, we were able to return at a later date, with a larger team, and screen the remaining women. Three women were identified and treated for cervical cancer.
FAME is committed to reaching the communities beyond the walls of our hospital to ensure that we are creating healthier communities, where individuals from all walks of life have access to the quality medical care that they deserve. Cervical cancer is detectable early and death is preventable in many cases, as long as women have access to the healthcare providers and resources they need.
A FAME Nurse giving a talk on cervical cancer near the village center.