Government urged to include cancer awareness in school curriculum

Three organisations involved in the fight against cancer among children have urged government to include a cancer awareness component in the school curriculum.

The Uganda Child Cancer Foundation [UCCF], Uganda Cancer Institute together with Children Care about Cancer (3C) said cancer had become common among children making it important that they are sensitised about  it.

Dr. Noleb Mugisha the head of Comprehensive Community Cancer Programme at the Uganda Cancer Institute said during the 3- day children cancer camp at Gayaza High School that more than 500 children are diagnosed with cancer every year.

Addressing the camp, the state minister for Primary Healthcare Dr Joyce Moriku appealed to children to avoid early sex saying it’s one of the riskiest behaviours  that can lead to cancer.

“Research has shown that those children who engage in early sex are most likely to have cancer of the cervix at their early age and the boys are likely to have prostate cancer. Please my little children abstain from sex and wait for the right time to have your right partners and that’s how we shall reduce on cancer risks in the country” Moriku said at the camp that attracted students from 95 schools.

Ben Ikara of the UCCF said they had reached out to more than 19,500 students so far.

He said their target is to reach out to 30,000 students every year because they want to create more awareness among the young generation in schools and help the organisation to do more cancer awareness.

“As Uganda Child Cancer Foundation, we have introduced different 3C clubs in different schools. 3C stands for Children Caring about Cancer.

The students applauded the work of UCCF and UCI and thanked them for taking cancer sensitisation trainings and camps to their schools.

They promised to keep on reaching out to different cancer patients in their respective communities.