But unfortunately, for many women in Ghana the chances of survival are much lower simply because breast cancer is not detected until it is too late. The barrier to early detection and treatment is due to the remote location of villages making access to cancer screenings a challenge and the stigma, shame and denial that exist around breast cancer. Many women fail to recognize symptoms, stay silent when they do, or seek out traditional spiritual “healers” rather than medical interventions. While highly treatable, this often means breast cancer needlessly kills thousands of Ghanian women each year. 

BCI America organizes community outreach events in deprived communities to educate and improve knowledge, change attitudes, and promote the importance of early detection of breast cancer. Breast cancer screenings are offered for free to those in the community.

Each year we also support BCI Ghana’s Walk for the Cure, which in the last ten years has grown to become Africa’s largest breast cancer awareness event, bringing together over 40,000 community members, survivors, politicians, tribal leaders and international dignitaries to walk for the cure, with each step helping to stop the stigma that allows this disease to run rampant in Ghana.