~ Welcome to ACO ~

Objectives

1 CANCER ADVOCACY, TO UNDERTAKE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMMES

a) To organise public education and awareness-raising events about the risks of cancer and the importance of preventative measures and early treatments.

b) To use talk shows, seminars, conferences and lectures to let people become aware of the existence of the cancer menace; early detection, signs and symptoms of the disease, cancer.

c) To rectify the wrong perception of people about cancer in Africa.

2 TO PROMOTE VOLUNTEER SERVICES

a) To coordinate the efforts of health professionals and corporate organizations to help fight against cancer.

b) To working with governments, media, religious Organisations and other NGOs to encourage volunteering, counselling and patient support.

c) To encourage those living with cancer to support and counsel newly- diagnosed individuals through support groups.

3 TO SUPPORT CANCER RESEARCH

a) To promote the creation of more registries to provide necessary clinical information.

b) To help set standards for the management of cancer registries based on World Health Organization recommendations.

c) To conduct and support cancer research.

4 TO ENCOURAGE CANCER SCREENING PROGRAMMES

a) To encourage screening among the population for early detection of cancers.

b) To establish centres and assist in conducting screening among the general population.

c) To promote the idea of self-examination, i.e. breast and scrotum
self-exams and symptom recognition seminars.

5 TO MOBILISE RESOURCES, THROUGH FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES

a) To mobilise international support for African cancer awareness through conferences, newsletters, workshops, instructional videos and DVDs, websites and other media.

b) To raise funds to achieve the objectives, mission and goals of the ACO.

c) To solicit for materials, equipment and facilities to resource relevant health institution for primary and secondary prevention of cancers.

6 TO FORGE STRONG INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

a) To act as an umbrella body to represent the interest of many disparate groups in Africa concerned with cancer issues and to enable the African Cancer Community to interface more efficiently with various regional and global health and development bodies, such as the WHO, the African Union, NEPAD, the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, etc.

b) To help forge stronger linkages between governments, the medical and health professionals, industry, development partners, funding agencies, prospective and current cancer patients, towards developing programmes that will alleviate the pain , anxieties and travails of cancer patients and their families, and also reduce the incidence of cancers.

c) To enable African Cancer Registries organise and arrange forum and mechanisms for knowledge-exchange and sharing “best practice” experience and benchmarking their activities.

Our First Year areas of focus are...