I endured photographing in Dar es Salaam’s grueling heat yesterday morning, but it’s nothing compared to what some of these women have gone though. Yes, women get breast cancer in Africa, too. But here the dynamic is different. With limited health care facilities and awareness, most women who have breast cancer are unaware of it and end up succumbing to the disease. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is working to change that. Known for their Walk for the Cure as well as other advocacy and research programs, their scope has gone global in recent years and is now reaching women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women diagnosed with breast cancer in Tanzania and other African countries have to deal with severe stigma and the temptation to consult traditional healers, as their family or peers may advise. It’s a miracle that about one hundred survivors came out yesterday, donning the pink shirt[…]
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Do they know it’s Women’s Day?
I haven’t been in the States during International Women’s Day in quite a while. Unless things have drastically changed, I can’t remember it being a big deal there. In Africa things are different. Currently I’m in Western Uganda gearing up to photograph a Women’s Day march and rally as part of a larger assignment for ActionAid. This coming Tuesday marks the 100th annual celebration of the event. Before I get to that however, detailing my previous assignment with the Uganda Women’s Health Initiative couldn’t be more appropriate for the occasion. One of UWHI’s main programs is to deal with the diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer, which is the leading cause of death for women in Uganda outside the child bearing age bracket. A joint study by the Uganda Ministry of Health and PATH found that 67% of bed occupancy in the gynecological ward of Mulago Hospital, Uganda’s largest, is[…]
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