Celebrating Women through Cancer Awareness: International Women’s Day

So, what are your plans for International Women’s Day?

For many of us, the day passes with messages, flowers, hashtags, and well-meaning tributes. We celebrate women’s strength, resilience, and contributions to society, and rightly so. But beneath the applause sits a deeper truth we don’t always confront: celebration without protection is incomplete. Affirmation without action is fragile.

International Women’s Day exists because women’s lives, labour, and bodies have historically been undervalued, overlooked, or placed at risk. It is not just a moment to honour women, it is a call to ask whether our systems, our communities, and our priorities are truly serving them.

(Read Unpacking violence against women 2026 report here.)

Across the country, cancer remains the third leading cause of illness and death, with women disproportionately affected by cancers linked to the reproductive system, particularly cervical and breast cancer. What makes this reality even more painful is that many of these cancers are preventable, treatable, or manageable when detected early.

Yet screening rates remain worryingly low. Fewer than one in five Kenyan women of reproductive age have ever been screened for cervical cancer. HPV, the human papillomavirus, which is responsible for nearly all cervical cancer cases, often goes undetected for years. By the time symptoms appear, the disease is frequently advanced.

This year, ParentsAfrica Integrated Media is choosing to mark International Women’s Day with action. There is no clearer place to start than women’s health. On 8th March, ParentsAfrica will host a Cancer Awareness Medical Camp and Community Forum, dedicated to women and girls. The day will centre on:

• Cancer screening services, including HPV screening

• Health education and counselling

• Panel discussions bringing together medical experts, survivors, advocates, and community voices

• Open conversations on prevention, early diagnosis, and navigating care

The aim is to meet women where they are, reduce fear around screening, and turn information into access. What better way to celebrate women than to empower their health? What better way to strengthen families and communities than to uplift the women who hold them together?

When a woman is healthy, children thrive. Families stabilise. Communities grow stronger. Women’s health is not a women’s issue; it is a societal one.

In the lead-up to the event, ParentsAfrica has also curated a special International Women’s Day e-paper edition, dedicated to cancer awareness, women’s lived experiences, and expert insight.

By signing up for the free e-paper, readers access powerful stories and credible information. They also directly support the medical camp and the broader awareness campaign. The edition features:

• Personal stories from women navigating cancer and recovery

• Expert voices unpacking prevention, screening, and care

• Reflections on caregiving, motherhood, and health decision-making

• Practical guidance for women and families

These are not abstract narratives. They are real lives, real questions, and real choices faced by women every day.

An Invitation: To learn, act, and show up

International Women’s Day should leave us changed, not just inspired. You can be part of this moment by:

• Purchasing the special edition ParentsAfrica e-paper and engaging with the stories and insights inside

• Registering to attend the medical camp and panel discussions, to learn, ask questions, and get screened

• Encouraging the women in your life, mothers, sisters, partners, friends, to prioritise their health

Cervical cancer prevention is especially critical for women in their reproductive years, when early intervention has the greatest impact. Awareness saves time. Screening saves lives.

This International Women’s Day, let us move beyond celebration as symbolism. Let us choose celebration as care. Because honouring women is not just about praising their strength, it is about protecting their bodies, amplifying their voices, and ensuring they live long, healthy lives.

What are your plans for International Women’s Day? If they include standing with women where it matters most, then we are already building a better, healthier community together.

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