Project Launch: 1-15-19

The Get A Pap Campaign is one the response to the alarming rate at which women of reproductive age group die of cervical cancer in Nigeria. Many present very late in local communities, especially those in low-income areas and slums. This project is an educational and screening initiative targeting women in order to enlighten them about cervical cancer, screen them, and vaccinate those eligible, empowering them with information about their health as a way to reduce needless, preventable deaths among women in Nigeria.

A Pap smear is a cost-effective intervention which entails taking samples from a woman’s cervix (neck of the womb) and checking for abnormal cells that could become cancerous in future.

The goal is to use this avenue to carry out cervical cancer screenings, teach mothers about the need to vaccinate their daughters, instruct teenagers about how to conduct a breast examination as well as carry out general physical examinations (weight, blood pressure, and body mass index). A pamphlet in local languages containing short information on cervical cancer as well as the recommended screening protocol will also be produced.

A pilot screening has been successfully implemented in Lagos and this expansion to the northern zone in the Nigeria capital of Abuja will screen 350 women in urban slums hosting internally displaced women and providing them with access to potential treatment for pre-malignancy and cervical cancer.