Creating A Civil Society Led Cervical Cancer Advocacy Movement THE CARIBBEAN CERVICAL CANCER ELECTRONIC PETITION (CCCEP)

Creating A Civil Society Led Cervical Cancer Advocacy Movement THE CARIBBEAN CERVICAL CANCER ELECTRONIC PETITION (CCCEP) Presented by Laura Tucker-...
Author: Oliver Wiggins
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Creating A Civil Society Led Cervical Cancer Advocacy Movement THE CARIBBEAN CERVICAL CANCER ELECTRONIC PETITION (CCCEP)

Presented by Laura Tucker-Longsworth Director, Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) President, Belize Cancer Society SESSION: Mobilizing Local Action For Global Change: Empowering National Networks To Make Cancer A Global Priority

Outline •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • 

About the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) HCC Meet the Targets Grant Background Cervical Cancer in the Caribbean HCC Meet the Targets Grant (MTG) Cervical Cancer Advocacy Plan & Workshop The CCCEP Challenges & Successes Lessons Learned Next Steps

About HCC •  Caribbean alliance of NCD civil society organisations (CSOs) •  Borne out of 2007 Heads of Government Summit – Port of Spain Declaration on NCDs •  Formed in 2008/ Registered not-for-profit company •  Official Relations with PAHO, member of NCD Alliance •  Membership 60 + Caribbean-based health NGOs; 65 + notfor-profit organisations; 200+ individual and organizational members based in the Caribbean and across the globe

HCC MTG ü Development of HCC Strategic Plan 2012-2016 ü Develop regional CSO Cervical Cancer Advocacy Plan ü Hold Cervical Cancer Advocacy Capacity Building workshop ü Support CSO led cervical cancer advocacy

Why Cervical Cancer? •  Approximately 2245 women in the Caribbean die annually from cervical cancer •  The Caribbean is among the top four highest sub-regions in the world with respect to incidence of cervical cancer •  The Caribbean has the highest burden of HPV in the Americas •  More than 95% of cases of cervical cancer can be prevented or 2100 of the 2245 •  Increased awareness, screening and effective prevention and control measures needed

Why Civil Society? •  Health advocacy critical gap among Caribbean Civil society due to significant focus on service delivery to generate income •  However CS are trusted information sources in our communities with the power to: –  Empower the public by building public awareness to demand improved services –  Identify legislative priorities and help develop legislative measures –  Act as Watchdogs - Hold governments accountable and support action

HCC MTG Civil Society Cervical Cancer Advocacy Plan •  Goal: To facilitate and mobilize Caribbean civil society around cervical cancer prevention, treatment and support advocacy •  Objectives: –  –  –  – 

Increase civil society advocacy capacity Improve public awareness Increase high-level advocacy Improve support for women living with cervical cancer

Civil Society Cervical Cancer Advocacy Capacity Building Workshop

20 NGOS

16

COUNTRIES

CCCEP Background •  Led by 21 Caribbean Cancer NGOs with strong private sector support •  Consensus/ Evidence-informed –  HCC/PAHO CaCx Situational Analysis developed by PAHO, Ministries of Health and CSO partners

•  First Caribbean-wide health-specific electronic petition conducted across the Caribbean by the people of the Region •  Builds on successful 2011 GTM mHealth campaign 700,000+ texts

CCCEP •  Goal: To improve prevention , control and treatment of cervical cancer through strengthened policies and programmes using an innovative eHealth platform to increase public awareness and empowerment and drive social movements •  Aimed at: Heads of Government of CARICOM •  Objective: To Increase Caribbean women’s access to affordable cervical cancer screening •  Target Signatures: 50,000 e-signatures

CCCEP Outcomes Category   Female Male Under  18 18-­‐30 31-­‐40 41-­‐50 51-­‐60 Over  60

Percentage   79% 21% 6% 32% 26% 20% 11% 5%

Challenges •  Generally not a culture of advocacy moreover e-advocacy, therefore difficult to ‘sell’ this novel petition to CSOs •  Varied support from Cancer NGOs due to competing priorities •  Regional promotion requires substantial human and financial resources •  Reliance on electronic media insufficient – traditional media essential to direct individuals to the electronic site •  Ambitious original target of 500,000 reduced to 50,000 •  Electronic platform inaccessible to poorest people

•  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • 

Successes

13,000+ signatures - Increased public awareness Creation of a regional Public Service Announcement (English & multilanguage) Presented at the ICCC5 (International Cancer Control Congress) in Peru 2013 Engaged/ Unified HCC CSO Members around a collective advocacy cause Increases public awareness empowering and creating advocates to demand improved services Encouraging positive health seeking behaviors around screening Increased awareness about ca cx continuum of care including the importance of the HPV vaccine Strengthening NGO-private partnerships and private-private partnerships in support one cause (e.g. Globeathon) High level support PMs, First Ladies etc.

Challenges & Successes Belize Cancer Society Perspective 3200+ Signatories – Highest in the region High level of public awareness on NCDs and Cancer Identified the Media as a major partner Conducted wellness ambassador programs Visited corporations, schools, service clubs, churches, and participated in numerous health fairs •  Created National Cervical Cancer Committee •  Challenges: lack of internet access and e-advocacy novel concept; rural hard to reach communities; ethnic diversity (Mayas, Garifuna, Mestizo, Creoles); resistance from faith based organizations; •  Limited budget to sustain communications •  •  •  •  • 

Lessons Learned

•  Need to demonstrate value of advocacy to gain CSO ‘buy-in’ •  Successes of regional advocacy campaigns highly reliant upon strong CSOs at national level with strong national networks to create social movements •  Innovative strategies needed to reach hard to reach communities such as paper based signatures and use of mobile phones •  Traditional media needed to support electronic media in promotion efforts •  High level regional commitment needed to validate advocacy and specifically e-advocacy •  Building on existing activities creates greater momentum, ie. Globeathon 2013 and 2014, Women’s cancer events and upcoming cervical cancer month

Next Steps •  Closing of the petition in January 2015 •  The final results of the petition will be presented to Heads of Government •  Explore regional mechanisms for the acknowledgment of e-advocacy

Thank You