‘We Care, I Care’ initiative will have employees take part in celebrating cancer warriors

The Standard Media Group will this February run a whole month campaign that seeks to sensitize all staff and its partners on cancer.

The awareness campaign under the ‘We Care, I Care’ banner will have all employees take part in celebrating cancer warriors, among them survivors but more so, care givers.

During the period, there will be medical camps, and health talks where employees will get tips on how to improve their lifestyle and get examined for the two leading cancers in the country.

While women will be examined for breast cancer, men will be taught how to do self-exam for cancer of the prostate.

Standard Group Human Resource Business Partner in charge of Head Office Support and Digital Services Ms Winnie Rono said considering that 80 per cent of employees time is spent at their work places, the office is a good place to start.

Apart from just creating awareness where employees will wear lavender ribbons, Rono said the sensitization will also involve caregivers and how to handle colleagues who are battling the disease or have family going through the same.

“Our staff live in the society. They are no different from them. What affects the society affects them. So anything we teach them (about cancer) will of course trickle down to the people around them,” said Rono.

Ms Rono noted that considering the weighty responsibilities that come with cancer which are both financial and emotional, awareness will make it possible for those going through the battle come out for possible support.

“Such people you will realize come to work stressed and they cannot manage it alone without support,” Rono said.

She added: “In some of the cases where there is loss of life it is not really the disease that kills but the stress that comes with it.”

Statistics have showed that while there are about 40,000 new cancer cases every year, at least 27,000 succumb to the disease annually.

It is yet to be proven why women appear to be the most affected as currently, statistics show they are the ones who get tested and diagnosed more(61 per cent) compared to men.

Apart from breast and prostate, other leading cancers in the country are cervical (women) and throat in men.

As part of the big plan for this year, Rono said there will be awareness creation of other health challenges like Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in line with the global calendar.

Globally, World Cancer Day was celebrated on February 4, 2018