More than 3,500 men, women and children were educated about breast, testicular and prostate cancer in communities adjacent to the Platinum Highway in North West Province. This is thanks to a collaboration between Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire (Bakwena), Pink Drive and the Department of Health to raise awareness of the various forms of cancer.
Charmaine van Wyk, public relations manager at Bakwena, says the campaign kicked off at the Dinokana Community Health Centre and Lehurutshe Clinic in Zeerust. “About 370 people were examined and educated about cancer. The team also conducted mammograms on 14 patients, who were either older than 40 or had lumps identified.”
The second phase of the campaign took place at the Groot Marico Clinic and Tshwelelopele Clinic in Zeerust where 359 patients were educated and examined and another 14 mammograms were carried out. In addition, PSA examinations were conducted on 72 men.
In conjunction with the examination of adults, 3,112 children from surrounding schools – from grade 7 to grade 11 were educated about the different types of cancer and what signs to look out for.
Van Wyk says one aspect of Bakwena’s extensive social development programme is to contribute to the welfare of communities along the routes it constructs, operates, maintains and builds on behalf of the country. “As a socially responsible company, we understand the importance of engaging in partnerships that bolster South Africa’s health and education systems.”
Bakwena thrives on supporting initiatives such as these. “Our communities are important to us and we feel strongly that all women, men and children should be equipped with as much information as possible to allow them to make informed decisions about their lives,” concludes Van Wyk.