On the last day of this year’s breast cancer awareness month, Engage Now Africa, an NGO, held a sensitization and screening programme for persons with albinism in Accra.
The programme which took place at the premises of the organisation at Osu on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, was in partnership with Prescott Medical Center.
28 persons with albinism were educated about practising good health care to prevent the contraction of breast cancer, how to self-examine their breasts, and what to do when they detect any signs or symptoms, among other things.
At the end of the exercise which was also patronized by other members of the Osu community, the health workers detected symptoms of the condition in two women with albinism. They will later be examined further and treated to stop the cancer from developing.
The sugar levels, blood pressure, and weights of the participants were also checked. They were counseled on how to keep healthy lifestyles.
In an interview with DisabilityNewsGH, the Country Director of Engage Now Africa, Madam Cecilia Amankwah states the need for deliberate efforts to be made to involve persons with albinism in public activities.
According to her, due to stigmatization and discrimination against persons with albinism, they often abstain from public gatherings to avoid embarrassment.
She adds that, for them to also enjoy all social interventions and opportunities like other members of society, it will be necessary to reach out to them and make them feel loved.
Engage Now Africa is an international organisation operating in five African countries, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Namibia, and Uganda.
Its mission is to heal, rescue, and lift vulnerable people in Africa.
The purpose of the organisation is to provide resources and training to vulnerable populations, enabling them to become self-reliant and substantially improve their lives.
It provides clean water, sanitation, health, education, micro-credit, and other income-generating activities that strengthen families and build communities.
In Ghana, the organisation engages in albinism rights advocacy, rescuing people from modern slavery and integrating them back into society, and adult literacy and vocational training.
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SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com