Through Plan International Jordan’s #IWillWithWill campaign, Syrian refugee women learned about breast cancer and gave support to others suffering from the disease.
Plan International Jordan, in partnership with the King Hussein Cancer Foundation, marked International Women’s Day in Azraq refugee camp, where Syrian refugee women had the opportunity to support Jordanian women fighting breast cancer.
Life in Azraq refugee camp is challenging and especially difficult for women who are vulnerable to harassment or abuse, particularly those living without partners or families.
The International Women’s Day event kicked off the I Will With Will initiative, part of Plan International Jordan’s new I Will campaign to empower women and girls in Jordan.
Plan International Jordan teamed up with the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Dr Azhar Al-Nasser for an event with multiple positive impacts.
Attendees wore flower crowns as they listened to Dr Al-Nasser speak about breast cancer and how to do a self-examination. She distributed information brochures to the women and provided free breast examinations after her talk.
Meeting the needs of refugees
“The refugees need more awareness not just about breast cancer but on the subject of cancer more generally,” Dr Al-Nasser said. “Hopefully the next step will involve continued cooperation with the refugees so that we can continue to do more visits and meet their needs.”
We want to show that we don’t just receive support as refugees, but we can also give support to other women.
The doctor noted that the women attending were happy to be actively involved in an event that helped them break from their daily routine.
The refugee women also felt empowered as they handmade small gifts that were sent to 100 breast cancer patients in the Jordan Breast Cancer Programme supported by the King Hussein Cancer Foundation.
Refugee women support cancer sufferers
“We want to show that we don’t just receive support as refugees, but we can also give support to other women, even if it’s just a simple or symbolic act,” said one Syrian refugee volunteer.
Another volunteer added, “Despite our hard life as women and as Syrian refugees in Azraq Camp, we wanted to share International Women’s Day with breast cancer patients so that they know that we are with them and we feel their pain.”
Dr Al-Nasser’s visit to Azraq Camp for the event was a first for the King Hussein Cancer Foundation, and she is hoping that they will continue such activities in the future to address this gap in camp services for women.
“I want to acknowledge Plan International Jordan because this was really a wonderful activity to partner with them on and they were great to work with. I was very happy to see how Plan International works with the refugees, and you could see that today’s event put a smile on the women’s faces.”
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