Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja (RHHJ) has launched a campaign to raise Shs 150 million through this year’s Women’s Cancer Run, aimed at promoting cancer awareness, prevention, and management among women. The event, 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 increase awareness about cancer prevention, screening, early detection, and treatment. She said the organization is rallying support from corporate partners and the public to participate in the run and contribute toward the fundraising target.
Nakami emphasized the critical role of the HPV vaccine in protecting against cervical cancer, noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccination for sexually inactive girls aged 9 to 13 years. However, she expressed concern that vaccine uptake in Uganda remains low.
“The low uptake is largely due to lack of funds to transport health workers to schools where girls can easily access the HPV vaccine,” Nakami said. “Sometimes logistical challenges cause vaccines to expire in facilities while many eligible girls remain unvaccinated and at risk.”
Funds 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 cancer screening for more than 10,000 women through community outreaches.
According to an RHHJ report, 3,253 women were screened for cervical cancer and 2,023 for breast cancer in previous campaigns. Of these, 208 women were diagnosed with precancerous cervical lesions and received treatment or were referred to the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) for specialized care.
Rashida Namubiru, a cervical cancer survivor identified during one of RHHJ’s outreach programs, shared her story of recovery and resilience.
“My treatment journey inspired two other women in my village to go for screening after seeing my recovery,” she said. “Cancer management requires a lot of courage, but RHHJ’s team prepares us mentally and emotionally to stay strong.”
Nakami reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to empowering communities through awareness, prevention, and early intervention, saying that with collective effort, the burden of women’s cancers in Busoga and beyond can be greatly reduced.
