The Zonta Club of Freetown, District XVIII, in partnership with The Well Woman Clinic celebrates International Women's Day on March 9th 2020 with the market women @ the Kroo Town Road market.
The aim of this outreach was to inform women of issues affecting their health and the health of children exposed to early marriage.
Health talks were given to the market women by representatives of both Zonta and the Well Woman Clinic. Mrs Eileen Hanciles, former president of Zonta Club of Freetown spoke about early child marriage highlighting the socio-economic and health issues surrounding the child bride. Sister Adija of the Well Woman Clinic gave a talk on cervical cancer, while Nurse Glenna gave a talk on breast cancer. They both focused on predisposing factors associated with the disease, signs and symptoms, treatment and most importantly the need for early detection which increases the chances of survival.
Mrs Jennifer Renner-Thomas, programme Director of the Clinic who is a past president of Zonta, took the opportunity to remind the Kroo Town Road community that Zonta club had served the community in the 1980s by giving scholarships to 100 children to attend nearby primary schools, most of whom attended the Municipal school. Zonta also provided 12 sewing machines for parents to sew school uniforms. A health programme in the community was also actively pursued on behalf of the club by Dr Yinka Koso Thomas, past president of the club and past district Governor who together with her team, regularly de-wormed the children and took care of simple health needs.
Gifts of Umbrellas to protect women from the sun and laminated, adhesive posters on breast self-examination to stick at strategic areas in the market were well received by the community headman.
The Vice President, Mrs Cordelia Jarrett Thorpe thanked the market women for taking time off their stalls to listen to these talks and promised that this was the beginning of a strong bond between the two organisations.
Haja Marie Bob Kandeh, president of the market women association and a recipient of the Zonta centenary celebration award in November 2020, thanked both organisations on behalf of the market women and promised she would follow up on the women's health and ensure they visit the Well Woman Clinic regularly for check ups, especially at the earliest signs of breast and/or cervical cancer.