Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine – March 17, 2010 – Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the global leader in the breast cancer movement, is supporting three community projects designed to address some of the most pressing issues Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine faces in the fight against breast cancer, in a second year of community grant funding in the country.
The advocacy and awareness projects focus on a range of activities from clinical breast exam (CBE) training for midwives, to building a network of volunteers to conduct door to door outreach in rural communities, to decreasing late stage diagnosis of breast cancer through breast self awareness lectures and trainings for women working in educational institutions. The combined total of the community grants in Ukraine is nearly $30,000. The awards were announced today, and will be presented to recipients in a meeting and ceremony later this month.
Last year’s awards covered a range of breast health issues in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa in Ukraine. More information is available on Komen for the Cure’s
global website and videos from 2009 projects around the world are available on the
Komen Global Initiative You Tube Channel. As in 2009, Komen is also sponsoring innovative six-month projects in Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Panama, and Romania.
“These grants help us marshal the resources to fight breast cancer around the world as we continue to seek the cures for this disease,” said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Komen for the Cure. “We are thrilled with the energy and commitment that we’ve seen from women in countries all over the world to end suffering from a disease that will strike more than 1.3 million women globally, this year alone.”
Grants were based on the individual project’s ability to address the needs and realities identified in the community profiles, potential for sustainability and impact on breast health, innovation, and the degree of collaboration with organizations and individuals from diverse backgrounds and sectors.
Komen for the Cure and the Institute of International Education (IIE) launched the Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness in 2007. To date, the Global Initiative has touched ten different countries. The community grant projects are a result of the work carried out by a network of breast cancer advocates who have participated in Komen’s Course for the Cure™ trainings over the past year.
Course for the Cure™ is a series of training modules based on Komen’s 28 years of experience in breast cancer awareness and advocacy. Advocates of the Global Initiative network designed community projects to address gaps in breast health awareness and education identified by the Global Initiative.
The Global Initiative has established strong partnerships with local leaders in breast health and identified, recruited and trained nearly 800 women and men in 37 communities in advocacy, fundraising, health education, volunteerism and community assessment. In each country, these advocates develop a community profile of breast health and identify barriers to care or “gaps” in breast health that had never before been compiled. These prioritized gaps formed the basis for developing plans for education outreach, awareness programs and advocacy efforts to improve breast health outcomes.
In its third year, the Komen Global Initiative activities focus on deepening and supporting the activists trained. Additional training workshops are broadening the network and the tools available to them, and community grants are empowering them to put their learning into action as they tackle challenges identified in the first two years.
About the Institute of International Education
Founded in 1919, the
Institute of International Education (IIE) is one of the world’s most experienced global higher education and professional exchange organizations. IIE has long worked to implement international training programs to build leadership skills and enhance the capacity of individuals and organizations to address local and global challenges. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness is managed by
IIE West Coast Center in San Francisco.
To learn more about the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Global Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness, contact:
Institute of International Education (IIE) West Coast Center
530 Bush Street, Suite 1000 • San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel: +1 415-362-6520 • Fax: +1 415-392-4667
Email:
globalkomen@iie.org
Web:
www.komen.org/global •
www.iiesf.org •
www.youtube.com/globalkomen
