The Italian ambassador and the country representative of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Sudan signed an agreement to support “Prevention of Uterine Cervical Cancer in Eastern Sudan” today.

The one-year project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation with an amount of € 400,000 is expected to start in March this year, the Italian embassy in Khartoum and UNFPA reported in a joint press release today.

This project contributes to Sudan’s Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child, and Adolescents Health Strategy 2016-2030, and aims at reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in Kassala, El Gedaref, and Red Sea State through improving access to simple screening and immediate treatment of precancerous conditions.

Khartoum — The Italian ambassador and the country representative of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Sudan signed an agreement to support “Prevention of Uterine Cervical Cancer in Eastern Sudan” today.

The one-year project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation with an amount of € 400,000 is expected to start in March this year, the Italian embassy in Khartoum and UNFPA reported in a joint press release today.

This project contributes to Sudan’s Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child, and Adolescents Health Strategy 2016-2030, and aims at reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in Kassala, El Gedaref, and Red Sea State through improving access to simple screening and immediate treatment of precancerous conditions.

The activities include community sensitisation and advocacy interventions to mobilise women aged 30 years and above, and encourage them to seek screening services. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the federal and state Ministries of Health and civil society organisations in the three states.

Around 600,000 people will benefit from the awareness raising activities in this project, out of whom 60,000 women are expected to be screened using Visualized Inspection with Acetic Acid, and 600 women are expected to receive pre-cancer treatment.

“Through this initiative we want also to stress the importance of the role of the women inside the Sudanese society, and give them the chance to improve their future” said Ambassador Fabrizio Lobasso during the signing ceremony

UNFPA Sudan Representative Lina Mousa expressed her gratitude to the Italian government for the generous support to the sexual and reproductive health interventions in Sudan.

She acknowledged the Government of Sudan for its strategic approach that considers prevention of cervical cancer as one of the key components of the National Reproductive Health Policy. “Measures shall be taken for ensuring early diagnosis of cervical cancer,” she said.