First Capital, JOH Join Hands In Breast Cancer Fight
Cavin Kanoko | Tuesday November 2, 2021 06:00
The bank donated P40,000 and held sessions with JOH to raise breast cancer awareness during the cancer awareness month. Hajra Mahomed-Tajbhai, First Capital Bank chief of staff and head of marketing and communications said it was critical to partner with JOH for a worthy cause. “With our commitment to helping the communities that we operate in, the bank found it imperative to partner with Journey of Hope Botswana in their mandate to educate citizens about breast cancer and promote early detection," she said on Friday.
Mahomed-Tajbhai said the partnership was very important since the COVID-19 challenges have hindered the usual awareness trips that the NGO undertakes each year to educate people about the disease throughout Botswana. Mahomed-Tajbhai said statistics shared by JOH show that in 2019 a total of 1,401 breast examinations were performed during their six-day visit to clinics in the Kgalagadi District, and this resulted in 106 patients requiring breast ultrasounds, fine needle aspirations and biopsies.
This is compared to 43 patients from the Kweneng District needing further examinations after the 2018 awareness drive. "Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, breast cancer awareness remains a top priority for JOH,” she said. “We all know someone who has been directly or indirectly impacted by this disease and we share a responsibility to increase awareness about the importance of early breast cancer detection and diagnosis,” Mahomed-Tajbhai said, adding through their relationship with JOH Botswana, they hope to make a difference in the communities. “We encourage more people to support this critical cause, as together we can give hope and save lives.” Accepting the donation, JOH Botswana coordinator, Onica Lekuntwane said it is always heart-warming to work with organisations that are willing to extend a helping hand and strive to better the communities in which they operate. “This donation will indeed go a long way in helping us as JOH achieve our mandate and potentially save lives,” Lekuntwane said.
The two organisations agreed to continue finding ways to partner even beyond October as a way to continue raising awareness and educating Batswana about breast cancer.