HER REASON FOR BEING: A Multifaceted Community-Based Project to Advance Cervical Cancer Prevention and Awareness

Inside the Mind of a Changemaker: Q&A with Salome Kwenda

What does success look like for you in the context of this project? How do you think the impact of your project will evolve over time?

Success for “Her Reason For Being” – a multifaceted community-based project to advance cervical cancer prevention and awareness – is a community where there is no stigmatization of women living with cervical cancer or any other gynecologic cancer, such as regular screening for early detection and prompt interventions prioritizing and embracing prevention measures such as HPV vaccination. Through normalized conversations, the project aimed at changing the community’s perceptions about cervical cancer leading to more women seeking screening and treatment services. Increased involvement of men in the campaign also ensured positive support for women seeking these services and those under survivorship. Similarly, empowering community members, especially community health workers, who are first-hand responders, is progressive and is projected to yield positive outcomes over time since the same workers have become advocates for cervical cancer awareness and prevention.

These project impacts will be sustained by the continued involvement of the community actors at the micro level, enhanced awareness creation, and constant reporting of successes and gaps.

What results were you able to produce with the funding you received? What are some measurable impacts of diversity and inclusion within your community?

Through this project funding, we were able to empower 160 members of our target community including community health assistants, promoters, and leaders, with information on cervical cancer prevention, treatment, and control. Those trained were instrumental in supporting the various community outreach programs. Through the “Her Reason For Being” awareness campaign over a thousand women went to screening for cervical cancer and those with positive diagnoses progressed to treatment. Over 250,000 people were reached throughout the project with the campaign messages through on-ground community engagement and digital platforms. The intentional use of community media ensured that over 20,000 people from rural and underserved populations were reached. Over 350,000 impressions were received on social media through social media, the “Her Reason For Being” campaign and it continues to attract more engagements.

Leveraging digital technology, we developed an interactive campaign website that not only shares information about the campaign but also provides critical information about cervical cancer.

Developing community educational materials that were culturally sensitive enabled the campaign to be embraced by people from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. This was characterized by the increased number of men joining the campaign and offering to support women who were walking the cervical cancer treatment and survivorship journey. Similarly, the adoption of diverse channels of information dissemination received a positive response which increased community engagement.

What challenges did you face during the project, and how did you overcome these? Based on this insight or if another location were to replicate this project, what would you do differently?

Some of the challenges faced during this project implementation include:

• Limited resources for resource-intensive activities – Through the campaign, we had anticipated executing some activities such as a rapid result initiative, that would have presented a direct impact on our community outreach efforts. To overcome this challenge, we forged partnerships with healthcare facilities within the target community where most of the trainings were conducted and worked with the trained champions to redirect community members to the facilities for screening and treatment services. Similarly, the development of a comprehensive training manual for the program proved to be costly. However, through a partnership with the National Cancer Control Program, we were able to reproduce the approved manuals for the training and worked with the specialists at the program to facilitate the training.
• Stigma facilitated by the healthcare systems – Most women were shy to seek screening services from the healthcare facilities because of the unfriendly environment at the facilities. – By working with the Sub County Health departments, we were able to conduct community training programs at the community health facilities. This ensured that such issues were addressed and health care workers offered to support women seeking cervical cancer screening and treatment services. There is still a gap in creating safe spaces for women seeking gynecologic health services, that our subsequent project will seek to address.
• Religious and sociocultural barriers – Due to the diversity of our target community, we ensured that the communication materials were culturally sensitive and that members of the various divides formed part of the trainees and community outreach programs.

If the project were to be replicated in a different location, we would emphasize more on building strong partnerships and intensified community engagement.

How did your project contribute to the goals of equity, diversity, and inclusion?

The “Her Reason For Being” project contributed to the goals of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in several impactful ways including:

1. Equity in access to information: Many women, especially from rural and underserved communities, have limited access to information about cervical cancer. The project through various channels such as community radio stations provided essential cervical cancer awareness and prevention information to underserved populations, the majority of whom have lower literacy and fewer healthcare resources, ensuring equitable access to crucial health knowledge.
2. Language and cultural sensitivity: Through the project, we designed culturally sensitive materials, ensuring that individuals from diverse backgrounds could access information in a way that resonates with their cultural norms and language needs.
3. Inclusive outreach: The project involved diverse groups in its outreach efforts, ensuring that people of different ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and genders were represented and served. By highlighting diverse voices in awareness campaigns, the project fostered a sense of belonging and showed that cervical cancer awareness is for everyone, irrespective of background.
4. Community-led initiatives: The project engaged people from diverse groups as leaders or spokespeople in the awareness efforts. This approach ensured that individuals who were most subjected to stigma had a platform to share their experiences and insights, making the project more inclusive and tailored to the unique needs of different members of the community.
5. Empowerment through knowledge: By educating individuals about prevention, screening, and early detection, the project empowered people in disadvantaged communities to make informed decisions about their health, fostering greater inclusion in healthcare decisions and outcomes.
6. Reducing stigma: A key part of equity is breaking down the barriers of stigma and discrimination. By normalizing conversations about cervical cancer, the project reduced the stigma surrounding cervical cancer, which often prevents people from seeking care in underserved or conservative communities.
7. Highlighting systemic barriers: The project attempted to highlight systemic barriers to healthcare access, such as the challenges faced with the new insurance cover, and gender barriers, especially male health practitioners conducting screenings for women from particular religious/ cultural backgrounds. In this area, more advocacy efforts would be required to address the challenges that hinder access.

How has your perspective on equity, diversity, and inclusion evolved as a result of this work?

Working on the Her Reason For Being Cervical Cancer Awareness Project has provided us with a transformative perspective on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). This is because it directly confronts the unique challenges and needs of diverse communities.

Our perspective on EDI has evolved as a result of engaging in this work through:

Understanding Systemic Barriers: The project highlighted the many systemic barriers that affect access to healthcare, such as socioeconomic disparities, cultural stigmas, and geographic location. We have gained a deeper understanding of how inequities are not just individual challenges, but are deeply embedded in society and healthcare systems. The diversity of lived experiences—whether due to gender, race, age, disability, or location—reveals how these barriers intersect and compound for marginalized groups.

Intersectionality: Throughout this project implementation the importance of an intersectional approach to equity, recognizing that individuals are not defined by a single aspect of their identity. For example, a woman from a rural and underserved area faces different challenges in accessing cervical cancer prevention resources than a woman from an urban, middle-class background. This reinforced the need for nuanced strategies that address these overlapping layers of identity and disadvantage.

Inclusive Representation: The project underscored the importance of ensuring that all populations—regardless of background and socioeconomic status—see themselves represented in health messaging and campaigns. Diverse representation in materials, resources, and leadership helps communities feel seen, respected, and more willing to engage with the message. This work deepened our appreciation for how vital it is to create a sense of belonging for people across all walks of life.

Challenging Stereotypes: It was eye-opening to confront and challenge stereotypes existing around certain communities, such as assumptions about women’s health in specific cultural contexts. We have learned that awareness campaigns must not only educate but also dismantle stigmas and biases that exist around topics like cervical cancer.

Culturally relevant approaches: As we worked to make this project more accessible and relevant to various communities, we have gained a deeper understanding of how cultural beliefs and practices shape people's attitudes toward health. This highlights the need to tailor health education materials and strategies to fit cultural norms, respecting traditions while encouraging openness to such information. The experience has reinforced how cultural competency is crucial in creating inclusive programs that resonate with diverse groups.

Trust building: The importance of building trust within different cultural communities has become even clearer. Outreach and messaging need to be mindful of past experiences or mistrust towards the healthcare system, particularly among disadvantaged groups. This emphasized the need for sensitivity, transparency, and collaboration with community leaders to establish a foundation of trust and mutual respect.

Listening to diverse voices: Engaging with communities directly has deepened our understanding of the value of listening to people from diverse backgrounds. Communities often know best what they need and how to communicate it, so the project has shown us that true inclusion happens when you prioritize input from the people you aim to serve.

Community-led solutions: The importance of community-led solutions has become more evident, illustrating that the most effective ways to create awareness and drive change often come from those who live within the community. As we collaborated with local organizations and leaders, we learnt firsthand that empowerment comes from within, and lasting impact is achieved when solutions are tailored to the unique needs and strengths of each community.

How do you plan to sustain the impact of your project after the funding has ended?

Sustaining the impact of the Her Reason For Being Cervical Cancer project after the funding has ended remains critical within our plan to ensure that the work continues to make a difference in the long term.

We plan to sustain the impact of the project through

1. The partnerships and collaborations we have established throughout the project implementation. Through the partnerships, there will be continued provision of resources, knowledge-sharing, and maintenance of the momentum of awareness efforts. Collaboration with government and policymakers will ensure advocating for continued government support for cervical cancer prevention and awareness at the community level thus institutionalizing the impact of the project. Engaging with policymakers will secure long-term funding, policies, or programs that promote the project's goals, such as public health campaigns or expanded access to screenings.
2. The project’s impacts will equally be sustained through community empowerment and ownership. The community health workers and community leaders who were empowered will continue with the education, outreach, and support activities, which will sustain the impacts of the project after the funding phase. Community leaders are advocating for cervical cancer prevention, holding educational sessions, and mobilizing resources within their networks. Similarly, through the support groups and other community groupings, grassroots initiatives will ensure that communities actively take part in cervical cancer awareness activities, and ensure that efforts are maintained. This will include continued hosting of the community dialogues.
3. Throughout the campaign, we built a strong online presence to ensure the awareness campaign reached broader audiences and remained accessible. The campaign website (https://her.being.africa) will remain accessible and updated regularly to allow the project to continue to reach people at any time.
4. Advocacy for policy change is still a critical concern for Being Africa. Therefore, continuing to advocate for policy changes related to cervical cancer prevention, such as increasing access to affordable screenings or improving healthcare access for underserved populations, will ensure that the systemic changes the project started can continue. The project is also aligned with larger health movements or campaigns focusing on broader cancer prevention, women’s health, or reproductive health policies.
5. Sharing of our impact/ success story will continue to have a lasting impact. We will continue to share our success stories through various platforms and mediums to inspire others and show the tangible benefits of our work. These stories will serve as evidence of the project's effectiveness when seeking new funding or support.

What advice would you give to others who are seeking to create impactful projects with EDI funding?

First of all, we would like to congratulate and encourage them!

Secondly, we would advise them that creating impactful projects with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) funding requires a deep commitment to understanding the unique needs of diverse communities and ensuring that the project is designed to address systemic barriers. If they are seeking to create a meaningful and sustainable project with EDI funding and borrowing from our experience, they should consider:

1. Starting with a community-centered needs assessment to gain an in-depth understanding on how to tailor the project objectives.
2. They should ensure inclusivity in their programming design and implementation.
3. They should foster cultural competency and sensitivity, especially when the project is targeting diverse and culturally conservative communities and populations.
4. Prioritize accessibility in every aspect - whether digital, physical, and/ or informational.
5. Project sustainability is key. Therefore, they should embed measures to ensure project sustainability from the onset.
6. Learn from mistakes and move forward. They should continuously assess and improve their approach based on community feedback and project outcomes, and more so, they should be open to change.
7. Finally, celebrate small wins and remember to have fun!

What advice would you offer to other fund recipients who are starting similar projects?

We wish to congratulate them and wish them well as they undertake the noble journey of implementing their projects. We are also open to collaboration.