Autumn Update – On to the next 100K!

We are thrilled to report that Grounds for Health has reached the magic number of 100,000 women screened! Many thanks go out to our outstanding in-country team, whose dedication, skill and efficiency have caused our numbers to skyrocket. For over two decades we have been working to prevent cervical cancer in the coffeelands and while it took us 18 years to screen 50,000, we’ve reached the second 50,000 in just the last 5. During that same five-year span, we have also doubled the number of women treated—bringing the total more than 7,850—because screening means next to nothing if it is not tied to timely and effective treatment. What’s more, 98% of the women who test positive are receiving treatment the same day, or, in a small number of cases, are being referred elsewhere.

2017/18 Impact

It’s clear that we are growing – in terms of both efficiency and outcomes.

The biggest factor to this success has been our team on the ground in Kenya and Ethiopia. We have recently achieved our long-standing goal of having significantly more staff in the field than we have here in the US. This has resulted in a far higher level of understanding and cultural sensitivity among our program staff and increased appreciation and respect from our in-country partners.

Our reputation continues to grow as we demonstrate the quality of our work and our commitment to cervical cancer prevention. For example, despite our small size in Kenya, Grounds for Health has earned an outstanding reputation for our high-quality training and performance. As a result, many women previously screened by other organizations in Nyeri County have been referred to us for re-screening. We have also been given permission from the regional ministry of health to begin a demonstration project using an exciting new treatment technology that is faster, less expensive, and equally effective.

Speaking of new technologies, we have big ideas for the coming year. Of special interest is a screening tool in the final stages of development that automatically provides a diagnosis by analyzing a digital photo of a cervix. This has the potential to be a game changer, so we plan on using our nimbleness to integrate this technology into our services to help demonstrate its usefulness.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of dedicated and sustaining funders such as yourself. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and on behalf of the women we serve.

Here’s to the next 100,000!