PRECISION Air has donated 9m/- to support the breast cancer awareness and screening campaign that kicks off in Mtwara and Lindi next week.

The four-day event that will run under the theme "Check it, Beat it" is spearheaded by the Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania (AKHST) and seeks to reach more women, especially those living in areas without health services.

Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salaam, the airline's Commercial Director, Mr Patrick Ndekana said the donation was part of the company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme that seeks to reduce the need for major surgeries or deaths among Tanzanians.

"Our mission is to beat breast cancer by funding projects that targets the remote communities with no access to proper health services...we believe our support will go a long way in saving people's lives because early detection saves lives," he said.

Aga Khan Health Service Tanzania's (AKHST) Head of Nursing Services Loveluck Mwasha said the campaign that will be carried out in Mtwara and Lindi regions targets a population of four million people, with at least 500 women expected to go for screening.

Every year, thousands of Tanzanian women are diagnosed with breast cancer. It is a major life altering event for women who are diagnosed, but for some the diagnosis comes much too late.

Globally, breast cancer is among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in women. Early detection of the disease through breast cancer awareness and screening campaigns is vital to reducing the devastating prevalence of this disease amongst women in East Africa.