Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja is fundraising
Fight Cervical and Breast Cancer in Uganda
Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja has provided palliative care for patients with life-threatening and life-limiting illnesses since 2005 in the Busoga Region and Buikwe District in Uganda. Most of our clients are bedridden, so care is done at their homes. Our teams of dedicated clinicians, social workers, and drivers go every day on scheduled, regular visits - deep into the far corners of some of the poorest areas in Uganda. We help our patients live every day that they have left without pain or needless suffering, and if they can be possibly be treated, we provide help with diagnostic tests and treatment . The absolute poverty and last-mile isolation of our patients means that RHHJ is often their only hope for treatment and care - making our work an immense and crucial challenge.
In the developed world, cervical cancer is a diminishing disease; with widespread screening precancerous lesions are diagnosed and treated early. The HPV vaccine has the potential to eradicate the virus for future generations. In Australia, it is estimated that this will be the case by 2030.
In Uganda, on the other hand, cervical cancer is the most common of all cancers - 20% of all new cancers, and 35% of all female cancers and sadly 80% of these women present with very advanced disease. At RHHJ, we see the great importance of the cancer screening initiative as close to half all women with cancer enrolled in our palliative care programme have cervical cancer (Feb 2020).
Almost all of these women come to us with very advanced diseases, and they are suffering. They have all of the awful, painful and degrading symptoms of advanced cervical cancer: not only tremendous pain, but fistulas, incontinence, heavy bleeding and offensive discharge. Too poor to afford diapers, these women are isolated in dark rooms, ashamed and afraid of the foul discharge and stains on their skirts, dresses and bedding.
RHHJ is able to help the women we have contact with, but there are many more out there, and many more women will be doomed to the same fate unless they are diagnosed and treated early for this awful disease.
The Harsh Reality: Both of these women had advanced cervical cancer, and at just 27 and 53 years old, both of them died from this preventable and treatable disease, leaving behind their children and families. Cervical cancer stripped them of their dignity, caused them immeasurable pain and suffering that could have been prevented.
Knowing the extent of the problem and the almost non-existent access to screening and early treatment for cervical cancer in the Busoga Region, RHHJ started a free screening programme in 2018, targeting the rural population and using the WHO recommended VIA test (Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid).
In 2018, we screened 265 women in the Busoga Region – 10% of who had cancerous or precancerous legions, that we supported for further treatment. In 2019, we screened 1,264 women in the Busoga region – 8.8% - or 1 of every 11 women!- tested positive and were supported with further treatment. If women test positive for precancerous cells, they are treated on-site with cryotherapy or thermotherapy, or referred for biopsies if the cells appear to be cancerous. We plan to further expand this programme in the coming years.
We also screen for breast cancer and teach women how to self-examine. In this way, we hope to prevent many cases of advanced cancer and promote overall women’s health in the Busoga Region.
In 2019, Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja, in coordination with another Jinja-based non-profit organisation - Cycling Out of Poverty Foundation - started a joint 'run, ride or walk' annual fundraising event in Jinja. We had over 500 participants attend! This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic taking the world by storm, we are unable to host our event in person so, this year, we are going virtual! This means that whoever you are, wherever you are, you can join the fight against women's cancers in Uganda!
Uganda for the Roses is the event for young and old, with one common goal: win the fight against cancer! Whether you are old or young and whether you walk, run, ride, swim or pretty much any type of exercise you prefer - everyone can join. Together, towards a Uganda with less cancer, more healing and a better quality of life for women with and after cancer. This virtual event will run for the whole month of October, where we will - as a team - try to run/walk/ride/swim/move a collective total of 12,000km! If you would like to join the team, please go to: https://www.challengehound.com/join/a8210770-d1c9-11ea-8e49-9fbdd299f5de create a profile, join the team and get moving!
Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja is ready to screen the women in Busoga Region and find ones in need of early diagnosis and treatment and we need your help to reach as many women as possible.
DO IT FOR THE WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE
When you join the Uganda for the Roses event and run/walk/ride/ swim you will help raise funds for Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja for much needed awareness raising, screening and treatment of women with early stages of cervical cancer and breast cancer and to help those where the cancer is already very advanced so that they can live in dignity to the last day of their lives.
About 1 in 11 women in the Busoga Region test positive for precancerous cells, so at least one of these women is expected to develop cervical cancer if she is not screened and treated.
On average, our team drives 12,000 km ( 7500 miles) every month to reach our cancer and severe HIV/AIDS patients out to the far corners of the region providing them with the care they need. 12,000 km is far , so we are fundraising for $12,000 - $1 per kilometre. The roads are more often than not in absolutely horrific condition, which makes travelling 12,000km per month really quite remarkable!
Please, if you can donate anything at all to this cause, every single cent helps!
To find out more about our organisation, please visit our website: www.raysofhopehospicejinja.org
*All funds will be put into our registered 501(c)(3) support organisation, Friends of Reach Out Africa (FORO) which is based in the United States. This organisation is run by volunteers, with no administration costs and all donated funds will be sent directly from FORO to Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja in Uganda.
In the developed world, cervical cancer is a diminishing disease; with widespread screening precancerous lesions are diagnosed and treated early. The HPV vaccine has the potential to eradicate the virus for future generations. In Australia, it is estimated that this will be the case by 2030.
In Uganda, on the other hand, cervical cancer is the most common of all cancers - 20% of all new cancers, and 35% of all female cancers and sadly 80% of these women present with very advanced disease. At RHHJ, we see the great importance of the cancer screening initiative as close to half all women with cancer enrolled in our palliative care programme have cervical cancer (Feb 2020).
Almost all of these women come to us with very advanced diseases, and they are suffering. They have all of the awful, painful and degrading symptoms of advanced cervical cancer: not only tremendous pain, but fistulas, incontinence, heavy bleeding and offensive discharge. Too poor to afford diapers, these women are isolated in dark rooms, ashamed and afraid of the foul discharge and stains on their skirts, dresses and bedding.
RHHJ is able to help the women we have contact with, but there are many more out there, and many more women will be doomed to the same fate unless they are diagnosed and treated early for this awful disease.
The Harsh Reality: Both of these women had advanced cervical cancer, and at just 27 and 53 years old, both of them died from this preventable and treatable disease, leaving behind their children and families. Cervical cancer stripped them of their dignity, caused them immeasurable pain and suffering that could have been prevented. Knowing the extent of the problem and the almost non-existent access to screening and early treatment for cervical cancer in the Busoga Region, RHHJ started a free screening programme in 2018, targeting the rural population and using the WHO recommended VIA test (Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid).
In 2018, we screened 265 women in the Busoga Region – 10% of who had cancerous or precancerous legions, that we supported for further treatment. In 2019, we screened 1,264 women in the Busoga region – 8.8% - or 1 of every 11 women!- tested positive and were supported with further treatment. If women test positive for precancerous cells, they are treated on-site with cryotherapy or thermotherapy, or referred for biopsies if the cells appear to be cancerous. We plan to further expand this programme in the coming years.
We also screen for breast cancer and teach women how to self-examine. In this way, we hope to prevent many cases of advanced cancer and promote overall women’s health in the Busoga Region.
In 2019, Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja, in coordination with another Jinja-based non-profit organisation - Cycling Out of Poverty Foundation - started a joint 'run, ride or walk' annual fundraising event in Jinja. We had over 500 participants attend! This year, with the COVID-19 pandemic taking the world by storm, we are unable to host our event in person so, this year, we are going virtual! This means that whoever you are, wherever you are, you can join the fight against women's cancers in Uganda!
Uganda for the Roses is the event for young and old, with one common goal: win the fight against cancer! Whether you are old or young and whether you walk, run, ride, swim or pretty much any type of exercise you prefer - everyone can join. Together, towards a Uganda with less cancer, more healing and a better quality of life for women with and after cancer. This virtual event will run for the whole month of October, where we will - as a team - try to run/walk/ride/swim/move a collective total of 12,000km! If you would like to join the team, please go to: https://www.challengehound.com/join/a8210770-d1c9-11ea-8e49-9fbdd299f5de create a profile, join the team and get moving!
Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja is ready to screen the women in Busoga Region and find ones in need of early diagnosis and treatment and we need your help to reach as many women as possible.
DO IT FOR THE WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE
When you join the Uganda for the Roses event and run/walk/ride/ swim you will help raise funds for Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja for much needed awareness raising, screening and treatment of women with early stages of cervical cancer and breast cancer and to help those where the cancer is already very advanced so that they can live in dignity to the last day of their lives.
About 1 in 11 women in the Busoga Region test positive for precancerous cells, so at least one of these women is expected to develop cervical cancer if she is not screened and treated.
On average, our team drives 12,000 km ( 7500 miles) every month to reach our cancer and severe HIV/AIDS patients out to the far corners of the region providing them with the care they need. 12,000 km is far , so we are fundraising for $12,000 - $1 per kilometre. The roads are more often than not in absolutely horrific condition, which makes travelling 12,000km per month really quite remarkable!
Please, if you can donate anything at all to this cause, every single cent helps!
To find out more about our organisation, please visit our website: www.raysofhopehospicejinja.org
*All funds will be put into our registered 501(c)(3) support organisation, Friends of Reach Out Africa (FORO) which is based in the United States. This organisation is run by volunteers, with no administration costs and all donated funds will be sent directly from FORO to Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja in Uganda.
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