A team of six walkers is today wrapping up a gruelling 120-kilometre, three-day trek from Lilongwe to Senga Bay in Salima, part of a campaign aimed at boosting cervical cancer screening rates and tackling the stigma surrounding the disease in rural communities.
The Walk4Cancer initiative, organised by the Fit N' Fun Adventure Club alongside the Women's Coalition Against Cancer (WOCACA), began on 30 July with a clear focus on raising awareness, driving advocacy and delivering health education to communities that rarely receive such outreach.
Fit N' Fun Adventure Club chairperson Mathews Mizati said the walk was never about fundraising, but about using direct engagement to save lives.
"Our primary purpose is purely awareness, advocacy, and education. Cervical cancer remains one of the leading cancers affecting women in Malawi yet late diagnosis continues to cost lives due to a lack of information, fear, and deep-rooted social stigma," Mizati said in an interview on Saturday.
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Mizati, who set up the club after losing both his parents to cancer, said the walk combines face-to-face community stops with media coverage and digital outreach to reach people who are often overlooked by conventional health campaigns.
"We want to directly inform and impact individuals along the route. When people understand that screening can detect cervical cancer early and that treatment is available, we can change outcomes," he said.
WOCACA executive director Maud Mwakasungula said her organisation has been leading the health education component of the journey, ensuring communities along the route receive accurate, life-saving information.
"Wocaca will serve as the focal point for cervical cancer health education and information, education and communication (IEC) resources throughout the campaign," Mwakasungula said. "Wocaca will ensure that communities receive reliable information that promotes informed decision-making, encourages uptake of cervical cancer services, and contributes to improved prevention and early detection."
Cervical cancer remains one of the most common cancers affecting women in Malawi, with health experts warning that most cases are diagnosed late -- often because women fear screening, lack transport to health facilities, or wrongly associate the disease with witchcraft.
Along the route, the walkers have held community dialogues in markets, bus depots and village centres, sparking open conversations about screening, HPV vaccination and treatment options in areas where such discussions rarely take place.
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Mizati said the choice of the Lilongwe-Salima corridor was deliberate, linking the capital to lakeshore communities with limited access to specialist cancer services.
"We want to promote regular clinical screenings, spark open conversations and reach underserved rural communities," he said.
"Many women in these areas have never heard a health worker explain cervical cancer in their own language. This walk brings that conversation to them."
WOCACA has been distributing IEC materials throughout the campaign and linking community members with nearby health facilities offering screening services.
The Walk4Cancer forms part of wider efforts by government and civil society organisations to reduce Malawi's cancer burden.
With oncologists and treatment centres concentrated largely in Lilongwe and Blantyre, advocacy groups say community-level awareness remains critical to improving early detection rates nationwide.
The team is expected to hold a final community engagement session in Senga Bay later today, bringing the three-day campaign to a close.
