By KT Reporter
Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja (RHHJ) has unveiled a plan to raise Shs 150 million from this year’s Women’s Cancer Run, aimed at promoting awareness, prevention, and management of women’s cancers. This year’s run, themed “Fight Women’s Cancer Because Every Woman Matters,” is scheduled for October 25, 2025.
According to RHHJ Executive Director Sylvia Nakami, the initiative seeks to create awareness about cancer prevention, screening, early detection, and treatment among women. Nakami said the organization has rallied support from corporate entities and members of the public to participate in the run and contribute toward the fundraising target.
She emphasized the importance of the HPV vaccine in protecting women against cervical cancer, noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends administering the vaccine to sexually inactive girls aged 9–13 years. However, Nakami expressed concern that vaccine uptake remains low in Uganda.
“The low uptake is largely due to lack of funds to transport health workers to schools where girls of school-going age can easily access the HPV vaccine,” Nakami said. She added that logistical challenges sometimes lead to the expiry of HPV vaccines in health facilities, while many eligible girls miss out on vaccination and remain at risk of developing cancer later in life.
Nakami explained that funds raised from this year’s run will support awareness campaigns and vaccine transportation to schools across the Busoga region, enabling the vaccination of 3,000 girls and providing lifelong protection against cervical cancer. She added that the same funds will also finance cancer screening for more than 10,000 women through community outreaches in the region.
According to an RHHJ report, 3,253 women were screened for cervical cancer and 2,023 for breast cancer during previous campaigns. Of these, 208 women were diagnosed with precancerous cervical lesions and were either treated on-site or referred to the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) for further management.
Rashida Namubiru, a cervical cancer survivor, shared her story, saying she was identified during one of RHHJ’s community outreaches and has since fully recovered. “My treatment journey inspired two other women in my village to go for screening after seeing my recovery. Cancer management requires a lot of courage, but RHHJ’s team prepares us mentally and emotionally to stay strong,” Namubiru said.
Nakami reiterated RHHJ’s commitment to empowering communities through awareness, prevention, and timely intervention to reduce the burden of women’s cancers in Busoga and beyond. ?
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