Cogebanque joins Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa in breast cancer awareness walk

Cogebanque has joined Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA) for Breast Cancer Awareness walk organized through Ulinzi Walk.

Ulinzi walk is the major public platform inviting people from all walks of life of all age brackets, encouraging them to understand that breast cancer is the concern of everybody.

Held on 12^th October 2019 in Kigali, the walk followed a 6km route from KG9 Ave in Nyarutarama -Golf Court-KG9 Ave and return to Green Hills Academy where participants attended free medical checkup including Clinical Breast examination, Eye test, Diabetis test and blood pressure check.

The walk was open to everyone. October is the best cancer awareness month globally.

The walk against Breast Cancer coincided with ten years anniversary of BCIEA in Rwanda.

According to the founder of BCIEA, Philipa Kibugu Decuir, such initiatives are organized to create awareness on avoidable risks.

“When we work together, we can reduce the prevalence of breast cancer.  Part of our programs target the youth because we believe that empowering them, making them informed will enhance informed decisions and early detection of the disease,” she said.

“When I came in Rwanda in 2007, Breast Cancer was not a popular topic.  It was shouted by guilt, stigma and myths. Now we are visiting businesses, banks and prove willingness to take action against the disease in Rwanda,” added Kibugu.

He thanked the Government of Rwanda and all advocates for campaigns to curtail the prevalence of breast cancer in Rwanda.

Initially, his platform helped 27 women whose breast was cut off to get rid of stigma. Today, a total of 50,000 people have been impacted directly.

Cogebanque Head of Marketing and Product Development who was part of the bank’s delegation during the walk explained that the bank attaches great importance to health conditions of the society.

“Apart from core banking activities, we are concerned with improved health conditions of our customers. Women are among our customers and we wanted to join the campaign and expand it to protect lives against preventable risks as a responsible institution,” he said.

Cogebanque recently hosted a talk that involved breast cancer advocates and survivors who tipped the bank’s staff on early prevention methods and shared testimonies.

Among the tips shared for cancer prevention are: Knowing your risks possibility by learning about family history, getting screened, Know what is normal for you by learning unusual breast changes and Make healthy lifestyle choices.

Cancer is a disease that is preventable and can be cured if diagnosed at early stage.

Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. In 2018, 18.1 million new cases of cancer were reported worldwide, and this number is projected to reach 24.6 million by 2030, 9.5 million cancer deaths were recorded in 2012, and this figure is projected to rise to 13.0 million by 2030, when most of the deaths will occur in low-income and middle-income countries.

The survival rate of patients diagnosed with cancers is appallingly low in the developing world including Rwanda. The main gaps for cancer control include ignorance and myths about cancers risk factors, prevention, early detection and treatment.