For women by women: breast cancer diagnosis - a film about Polish aid in Jordan
04.04.2024
Polish aid has supported refugees and local communities who are hosting refugees in access to medical services for years.
In 2023, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Amman, in cooperation with the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center (KHCC), implemented a training scheme for medical staff and social educators on breast cancer in the Jordanian province of Al Balqa. We are now inviting you to watch a short documentary about the venture.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and remains one of the leading causes of their premature death. Proper mammographic screening is crucial for the early detection. According to the King Hussein Cancer Foundation, breast cancer is the third leading cause of death among Jordanian women and accounts for 38.9% of cancers among women.
Breast cancer diagnosis among Jordanian women faces many cultural challenges. There are deeply rooted negative beliefs among the local community, which often lead to postponement of mammography. There seems to be a common belief that a diagnosed disease is a verdict that must be accepted. There is also a specific stigmatization of families in which a family member is diagnosed with cancer – younger women in such families struggle with problems related to potential marriage due to the genetic burden. For these reasons, some women decide to live in unawareness, fearing the possible consequences of the diagnosis for themselves and their loved ones.
Polish aid helps break the taboo surrounding breast cancer diagnosis by financing educational programmes conducted by women and for women.
The project by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Amman primarily targeted women 40+ years of age, living in the Al Balqa province, with no access / limited access to health care due to communication, personal or family reasons. During the implementation, nearly 5 thousand women were provided with information and medical support for early breast cancer detection. As a result of a multi-faceted approach to promoting health, over 200 individual training sessions were organized and 40 health care workers and 25 social educators and medical staff were trained.