In developing countries like Rwanda and Uganda, cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer-related death. It claims the lives of more than 300,000 women annually.
Since 2012, Worldwide Healing Hands (WHH) has made extraordinary strides to train healthcare workers in low-resource settings how to prevent, screen and treat this disease quickly and effectively.
Last June WHH was invited by the Rwanda Ministry of Health to introduce a cervical cancer prevention training program to 40 OB/GYN residents and faculty at The University Teaching Hospital of Kigali. Our team of 13 medical volunteers worked with the University’s OB/GYN department chairs, Dr. Stephen Rulisa and Dr. Diomede Ntasumbumuyange, to create and implement this teaching program.
Here is a summary of WHH’s achievements while in Rwanda:
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- Trained 40 OB/GYN residents and faculty to perform VIA screening, colposcopy, LEEP, and thermal ablation
- Administered care to 44 patients at CHUK and Muhima District Hospital
- Donated 2 portable EVA colposcopes to CHUK (value $7,255)
- Donated 3 LUCIA cervical models to CHUK (value $652)
- Donated 1 MamaNatalie birthing simulator to CHUK (value $1000)
- Conducted two rural health center visits to spread awareness of cervical cancer and donated 4 suitcases full of medical supplies and cervical cancer education materials (value $900)
WHH’s amazing supporters are responsible for making these life-saving missions a success. Our heartfelt thanks goes to:
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- WHH mission volunteers, who generously donated their time and paid for their own travel, meals, and housing.
- WHH local volunteers, who work all year long gathering and sorting our in-kind donations to prepare for our missions.
- All of our wonderful donors! A very special thank you to Jane Willhite, who was instrumental in funding this mission in honor of her dear friend, Shirley Hunt.
Our life-saving efforts continue. We’re thrilled to announce January 2022 will see another cervical cancer education and training mission to Rwanda. To read more about this mission, you can download the full 2021 Rwanda Mission Report here.
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Photo Credit: Nathan DeHart
