Articles about Antigua

IPPF developed these materials following a successful implementation of our Regional Cervical Cancer Project. Through this project, which reached thousands of women, many Cervical Cancer related deaths were averted. Good lessons were learnt during the implementation of this project and were documented to help improve similar projects in the future. The publications include materials that cover the topics below: Integrating Cervical Cancer Screening and Preventive Therapy with Other Reproductive Health Services: An Entry Point to a Wider Range of Service Offering The Single Visit Approach: A Practical and Effective Approach to Cervical Cancer Prevention Strengthening Referral Systems for Improved Cervical Cancer Prevention Outcomes Performance-Based Funding in the Cervical Cancer Screening and Preventive Therapy Programme

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women worldwide with approximately 500,000 new cases and about 250,000 deaths each year (about 85% of these deaths occur in low and middle income countries). This translates to around one woman dying of cervical cancer every two minutes around the world.  In response to this huge disease burden among women, IPPF Member Associations in the Africa Region are providing Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment as part of the SRH package of services offered to their clients, with a focus on the poor and marginalized.  With the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, IPPF has a focused initiative on Cervical Cancer Screening and Preventive Therapy through Reproductive Health Networks being implemented in four Member Associations in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. This programme focuses on the integration of cervical cancer screening and treatment of pre-cancerous lesions through Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) and Cryotherapy. This is an approach that has shown great effectiveness in low resource settings whereby middle level health workers using inexpensive and affordable technology are able save the lives of hundreds and thousands of women by identifying pre-cancerous lesions early and providing early treatment. The initiative supports the training of service providers, procurement of equipment and supplies, community mobilization/outreach and IEC, strengthening data systems and conduct of operations research around cervical cancer screening and preventive therapy programme implementation. For just over one year of implementation in the four countries, there are now over 190 static and outreach screening sites and 25 Cryotherapy sites. During this period, the four Member Associations have been able to reach over 80,000 women with cervical cancer screening services and provided Cryotherapy to those found eligible.  IPPF envisages scaling up the cervical programme implemented in these four countries and other across the region to further expand cervical cancer screening and treatment so as to reach more women with these lifesaving services through an integrated approach.

The Generation Equality Forum (GEF) is a global multi-stakeholder platform to reignite the worldwide commitment for gender equality, convened by UN Women and the governments of Mexico and France. The Forum kicked off in Mexico City, Mexico, on 29 – 31 March 2021, and culminated in Paris, France, on 30 June – 2 July 2021, with the aim of securing a set of concrete, ambitious, and transformative commitments to achieve irreversible progress towards gender equality; bringing together governments, civil society organizations, young people-led organizations, the private sector and foundations to define and announce ambitious investments and policies on a range of priority areas, from climate change to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender-based violence, feminist movements, technology and economic justice.   IPPF is proud to be one of the co-leads of the Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy & SRHR, which aims to:  Expand access to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in and out of school  Increase qualitative access to contraception  Empower all people, including adolescents and women, in all their diversity to make autonomous choices about their bodies, sexuality and reproduction  Strengthen girls, women’s and feminist organizations and networks to promote and protect bodily autonomy and SRHR.  IPPF has joined the two collective commitments of this Action Coalition on abortion and CSE.  IPPF’s individual commitment at GEF  By 2026, IPPF commits to work to accelerate universal access to safe abortion care centered on three principles – rights-based, reproductive justice and gender transformative – with a focus on the following strategies:   Expand and improve the provision of abortion care through 102 Member Associations, including quality medical and surgical abortion, person-centered abortion self-care support, and abortion care beyond 12 weeks of gestation through a simplified outpatient model using task-shifting to mid-level providers, including self-managed medical abortion.   Fully integrate abortion care into humanitarian preparedness and response as full realization of SRHR, with all IPPF emergency responses providing abortion care as a standard part of the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP).  Advocate for the decriminalization of abortion and the removal of coercive policies and legislation on abortion in 25 countries, and advocate to donor governments and agencies to remove restrictions preventing work and dialogue on abortion, including the permanent repeal of the Global Gag Rule.  IPPF is also pleased to announce that it will be working with the Governments of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands to help realize universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights and CSE.   IPPF’s Director-General, Dr Alvaro Bermejo, said:  “Since Beijing, progress has been made towards gender equality, yet not a single country can claim to have achieved it. It’s simple; women and girls cannot wait any longer to live a life free from discrimination, free from gender-based violence and free from harmful patriarchal gender norms – we must replace rhetoric with meaningful action. "As co-leaders of the Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy and SRHR, we are convinced that you cannot achieve gender equality without SRHR, and urge that it be at the center of policies and decision-making processes. IPPF, alongside its partners and Member Associations, will turn our commitments into meaningful action that accelerates our shared goal of achieving gender equality.”  IPPF’s Global Advocacy Director, Anamaria Bejar, added:  “Women and girls cannot afford more broken promises. Now is the time to renew our determination to make the Beijing Platform for Action a reality for every woman and girl in the world, to live with dignity and reach their full potential. That is why IPPF wholeheartedly support the Generation Equality Forum and what it stands for. Together, we can meaningfully work towards gender equality in our lifetime.”  Fore more details about IPPF's commitments at GEF, click here. Follow IPPF Africa Region on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.

February 4th is World Cancer Day, a day marked to enable all individuals, families, communities, groups and organizations to raise awareness about cancer risk factors, preventive measures that one can take, and the need to get screened for early detection, in order to avert the adverse effects of this deadly disease. It is worth noting that most cancer deaths can be prevented when detected early and/or the relevant vaccines are given at the appropriate time. Cervical cancer is among the avoidable cancer-related deaths, especially when the needed actions, including screening, are taken early. IPPF Africa Region has been positively contributing to the cancer response in Africa, through the Cervical Cancer Screening and Preventive Therapy (CCSPT) project, implemented in four countries; Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. Also Read: "The Day I Faced my Greatest Fear Head-On" -Kellen Mbabazi From the inception of the project in 2012, a total of 498,330 individuals have benefited from screening and out of these, 10,362 have been treated with cryotherapy. It is worth noting that the potential death of over 10,000 women who may have progressed to the cancer stage, have been averted and their lives saved. Indeed, the project has made significant contribution towards reducing the cancer disease burden in the focus countries. In addition, IPPFARO in 2016 secured new funding for three Member Associations; Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia and Uganda to strengthen their work in the area of cervical cancer prevention. Through this funding support, and the hard work of volunteers and staff of the Member Associations, 32,132 women were screened, with 1,382 receiving cryotherapy treatment to arrest the pre-cancer cells. Also Read: "This is the Split-Second Decision I Made One Day that Saved my Life" -Teresia Wangui This year’s theme for the World Cancer Day remains “We can. I can.”  I take this opportunity to encourage all; individuals, groups and organizations to contribute towards saving the lives of our African women from cancer deaths. This we can achieve by creating awareness on cancer prevention- education, coaching, motivating and encouraging people to check for and report signs and symptoms as early as possible. Emphasis should also be placed on preventive measures and reduction or avoidance of associated risk factors. “Encourage a woman you care about to get screened for cervical cancer today”. Mr. Lucien Kouakou is the IPPF Africa Region Director.   

Gertrude Mugala is a teacher in Fort Portal town, western Uganda. While Gertrude considered herself fairly knowledgable about cancer, she had never thought of taking a screening test or imagined herself ever having the disease. That was until she one day chanced on a radio announcement urging women to go for cervical cancer screening at a Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) clinic. “The radio presenter was talking about cervical cancer and in her message, she encouraged all women to get screened. I decided to go and try it out,” she says. Gertrude then made her way to RHU's Fort Portal Branch clinic for the free cervical cancer screening. There, she met Ms. Irene Kugonza, an RHU service provider. Together with other women, Ms. Kugonza educated them about cervical cancer and the importance of routine screening. The women then took the cervical cancer test. But Gertrude's results were not as she expected. The news was not good. Gertrude was found to have pre-cancerous cells in her cervix. The good news however was that it was at the pre-cancerous cell stage, and with the right intervention, it did not have to develop into cancer. Cervcial cancer is treatable if detected early and appropriate medical interventions undertaken. “I was so shaken when I was told I had pre-cancerous cells. I did not know what was happening and I didn’t believe what I was hearing. I had no idea that along, while I thought I was healthy, I was actually harbouring a potential killer disease in me. What would have happened if I didn’t go for the screening? If I hadn't heard the radio announcement?” Gertrude was then referred for cryotherapy, which is a treatment for precancerous lesions. This method involves freezing abnormal tissues with a probe - cooled by liquid nitrous oxide or carbondioxide. It has an overall effectiveness rate of 80-90 percent in women with suitable lesions. Cryotherapy is inexpensive, does not require electricity, and is practical for low-resource settings. It has been safely performed by nurses and other non-physicians in low level facilities and at the primary care level. “Following cryotherapy, I am now in the process of healing, and I am supposed to go back for review after three months,” Gertrude says. Today, Gertrude advocates cervical cancer screening in her community. She talks to women about cancer, especially cancer of the cervix at her workplace, at the market, in meetings and any other opportunity she gets. “I decided to let women know that cervical cancer is real and it is here with us, and that it kills. At the moment those are the platforms I have and I will continue educating women about cancer and encourage them to go for routine testing. I am also happy that I was near my radio that day, where I heard that announcment encouraging all women to get tested for cervical cancer. It might be because of that radio announcement that I am here today,” she says. Cervical cancer is one of the two most common causes of cancer-related deaths in Uganda. According to Uganda’s health ministry, more than 3,500 women are diagnosed each year with cancer, with more than 2,400 dying from a disease that is preventable and curable when detected early. RHU has accelerated access to services such as cervical cancer screens in response to this growing need. Story by RHU and Maryanne W. Waweru, IPPF Africa Region

Kellen Mbabazi, 25, is married with two children aged 10 years and 4 years. She recently faced one of her greatest fears: getting screened for cervical cancer. “Cancer is a big deal in the community today. There are so many people -including women that I know who have the disease. I also know of families that have lost a loved one to cancer. For a long time, I was so terrified of testing for cervical cancer because I was scared I would get a positive result. I imagined that this would be an automatic death sentence for me, yet I’m still young and with a great future ahead of me. I still plan on getting more children, so I didn’t want to be told that I have cervical cancer,” she confesses. However, one day, Kellen decided to take charge of her own health and mustered the courage to get screened for cervical cancer, having learnt of its importance through a community outreach conducted by Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) –Kampala branch. “During the outreach, I heard one of the mobilizers say that with cancer, the key is to detect it early because when it is discovered at a late stage, then it is what might kill you. This information convinced me and that is why I decided to screen for cervical cancer,” she says. Also Read: "The Radio Announcement that Changed My Life" -Gertrude Mugala Kellen then went to the nearby Kiswa Health Center in Kampala, where she met a team from Reproductive Health Uganda who screened her for cervical cancer. Following her experience, which she says was eye-opening, Kellen then decided to become a cervical cancer mobilizer. “My mother and my sisters were the first people I encouraged to come for screening. I then informed my friends and encouraged them to test too. This is something that I will continue doing, because I have realized that it is not the disease that kills people, but fear for testing. Yet, early screening is one of the best solutions to cervical cancer. This is the information that I have been sharing with my female networks, and I will not relent in doing so,” she says. RHU implements the Cervical Cancer Screening and Preventative Therapy (CCSPT) Initiative, which uses static clinics and outreaches as the main service delivery modes. The CCPT initiative aims at maximizing the number of cancer services offered to women through a validated, low-cost screening and preventative therapy approach. Screening is carried out using Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) -an evidence-based and affordable alternative approach for cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings. The CCSPT Initiative offers instant treatment for clients with pre-cancerous lesions using cryotherapy –a method that involves freezing of precancerous lesions. Related: Reproductive Health Uganda: Effectively Responding to the Cervical Cancer Burden Ms. Annet Kyarimpa, the Special Projects Coordinator in the IPPFAR Member Association in Uganda –Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) says that CCSPT Initiative outreach activities provide the biggest bulk of clients (over 75%). The success of this approach is largely attributed to the fact that the outreaches are conducted in lower level health facilities (including government health facilities) that provide a conducive service delivery environment. Story by Maryanne W. Waweru, IPPF Africa Region.

One day, while going about her daily activities in her home area in Nakuru, Kenya, 26 year-old Teresia Wangui happened upon a group of people providing medical services. They particularly seemed to be targeting women and since she had a few minutes to spare, she made way to the tent where they were. It was this decision that would save her life –literally. On offer at the medical camp were mobile cervical cancer screening services by the Family Health Options Kenya (FHOK) –Nakuru branch. FHOK is the IPPF Africa Region Member Association in Kenya. “When I approached the tent, I found out that they were offering free cervical cancer screening services, and I decided to get tested too because I felt that I needed to know my status,” says Teresia. It was a decision that paid off because Teresia was found to have pre-cancerous lesions. To help allay the development of these lesions into cervical cancer, she was referred for further treatment - cryotherapy, which is a treatment for abnormal cells on the cervix. Cancer of the cervix is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) through sexual contact, with most people acquiring the infection shortly after the onset of unprotected sexual contact. However, pre-cancer lesions of the cervix are easily detectable by a trained medical provider. Regular screening tests can lead to early detection and treatment, which makes cervical cancer highly preventable. “Had I not made that split decision to pop into the medical camp by FHOK, I probably would not be here sharing my story with you today. I’m glad that I was able to be screened and receive treatment. I would advise all ladies to go for cervical cancer screening even if you are young and have not had children, since it affects everyone who is sexually active. I would also like to tell my fellow women not to wait for services to be brought to their doorstep. Cervical cancer screening services are also offered in many clinics, so it is your responsibility to undertake regular checks. You are the one responsible for your own health,” she says. Cervical cancer remains a major public health problem in developing countries, especially in Africa where an estimated 53,000 women die of the disease every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In response to this, FHOK implements the Cervical Cancer Screening and Preventative Therapy (CCSPT) Initiative in different parts of the country through its static clinics. The CCSPT Initiative is aimed at improving reproductive health outcomes for women, with specific regard to cervical cancer. The CCPT initiative aims at maximizing the number of cancer services offered to women through a validated, low-cost screening and preventative therapy approach. Screening is carried out using Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) -an evidence-based and affordable alternative approach for cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings. The CCSPT initiative offers instant treatment for clients with pre-cancerous lesions using cryotherapy –a method that involves freezing of precancerous lesions. Story by FHOK and Maryanne W. Waweru, IPPF Africa Region