Emily and Sian are running the Valencia marathon on 7th December. This was perhaps an idea that sounded ‘fun’ a couple of months ago, whilst now the reality of the long training runs is starting to set in! In order to make this more worthwhile, we have decided to raise money for Women’s Cancer Prevention PNG.

A charity set up by our friends Ella and Nevelle Gahanao, who, during their time in Papua New Guinea, were struck by the number of young women who were losing their lives to cervical and breast cancer. Most of these presented at late stages with limited or no treatment options. These women often go undiagnosed, and whilst these cancers can be preventable and treatable, without early detection and accessible care, too many women continue to die. Many of these deaths could have been prevented with relatively simple interventions, such as education, screening and the HPV vaccine.

WCP PNG is based in Papua New Guinea, where breast and cervical cancer are two of the three most common cancers affecting women. It is currently fundraising for the salary of two nurses who are traveling to remote areas to deliver education and awareness programmes, before travelling to the same communities to deliver screening and crucially the HPV vaccine.

Any support for this charity will be gratefully received to help save the lives of women in Papua New Guinea, and make our run more worthwhile.