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Pink Month in Gaza

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In celebration of Pink Month in November, the YES alumni in Gaza organized a multifaceted breast cancer awareness campaign in partnership with International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA-Gaza) and alumni from the English Access Micro-Scholarship Program. Five dedicated YES alumni were part of this ambitious public health project.

First, the alumni raised their own awareness by inviting a doctor from IFMSA to lecture them about breast cancer, its prevalence, and detection methods. Then, the team was ready to share their new knowledge with the community.

The YES and Access alumni visited three UNRWA centers in Gaza City, Deir Al Balah, and Rafah. The centers were already implementing projects related to maternity and child health, so the breast cancer awareness team found opportunities to insert their campaign into the preexisting events. By being part of a collaborative women’s health series, the breast cancer project made an even greater impact!

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At each UNRWA center, the beneficiaries and staff expressed their appreciation for the breast cancer sessions. In some cases, the women had already taken part in several other trainings, but they found the breast cancer training to be especially interactive, and asked the project leaders lots of questions. One center director even remarked that this was one of the most collaborative projects they had ever implemented!

The YES alumni wanted their message to reach an even greater audience, so they also distributed breast cancer awareness brochures at each center and to the women in attendance. Hopefully those women will share the information with others in their communities. The team also distributed brochures at a public health event at Al Azhar University.

These YES alumni achieved their goal of raising awareness about early detection of breast cancer by reaching out to women in marginalized groups, directly benefiting more than 150 women. YES and Access alumni learned new skills and information and implemented them in a professional fashion. They created strong partnerships with IFMSA and UNRWA women centers. Perhaps most importantly, all of the women centers were so happy with the sessions, they asked the YES alumni to cooperate with them on other projects in the future.


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