RAFI Micro-finance promotes cancer awareness

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Micro-finance, in collaboration with the  Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC), conducted a free breast and cervical cancer awareness seminar to the client-nanays in the northern part of Cebu.

Client Advisory Board (CAB) officers of Cebu City, Liloan, Bogo, and Bantayan branches of RAFI Micro-finance were the key participants of the activity. After the seminar, they are expected to educate the client-nanays from different center meeting places on ways to prevent cancer.

The activity aimed to raise awareness and understanding of women on breast and cervical cancers.

RAFI’s EJACC gave guidelines on self-breast examination and signs and symptoms of cancers of the breast and cervix to the CAB officers of Cebu City last March 26 and Bogo and Bantayan last April 20.

On April 6, more than 50 women of Barangay Polog in Consolacion, Cebu benefited from free breast and cervical cancer screenings at Polog Elementary School.

“At EJACC, or goal is to inform every woman on how to examine themselves so that they will be guided if they would experience signs of breast and cervical cancer and be able to consult a doctor for further examination,” Ronald de los Reyes, EJACC Program Coordinator, said.

“The activity was a great help to the clients so that they would be aware of what to do to prevent the disease, to conduct self-examination monthly,” Radclief Destacamento, Branch Manager of Bantayan, said.

Destacamento added that some of the nanays under the branch were already applying their learning and sharing it with their co-members and families so that if they found out something abnormal, they would be able to report it to EJACC and be able to get free consultations.

RAFI Micro-finance is a program under the Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship focus area of RAFI, providing financial resources and know-how to women micro-entrepreneurs to nurture financial independence and entrepreneurship. Other focus areas of RAFI are Integrated Development, Culture & Heritage, Leadership & Citizenship, and Education.

For more information on RAFI Micro-finance, please contact 418-7234 loc. 707 and look for Val Gatchalian, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph, or follow @rafiorgph on Twitter.