As Guyana observes Cancer Awareness Month, Copa Airlines has donated a free airline ticket for the Guyana Cancer Foundation (GCF) to send a representative to New York en route to Istanbul, Turkey for the Fifth Annual Congress on Epigenetics and Chromosome. The Airline also contributed materials for the organization’s next outreach exercise in Berbice.
Copa Airlines’ Sales Manager, Ms Nadine Oudkerk asserted the company’s commitment to doing business with a human face by putting people first and participating socially in a meaningful way. She added that the airline helps non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to pursue worthy causes every year, and was pleased to support the GCF.
She noted that the Airline has a solid record of supporting successful social policies centered on positive human development and, as such, was glad to seize the opportunity to contribute to the GCF’s vital work to raise cancer awareness in Guyana in order to change high-risk lifestyles and behaviors,as well as to promote prevention and early medical intervention and treatment.
The materials presented to the Foundation by Copa Airlines comprised lancets and gloves that will be used to conduct outreaches for cervical, breast and prostate cancer screenings in Berbice. MsOudkerk said such screenings are extremely valuable because they are often a primary source of education and information regarding cancer.
The GCF has nominated Chief Executive Officer of Scotch Bonnett Ltd. Ms. Samantha Gooden as its representative to attend the Epigenetics and Chromosome Congress from November 14-16.
The objective of this congress is to provide a platform for cutting edge research and examine how to shape the future of epigenetics and genome biology in order to create the best outcomes.
On behalf of the GCF, Ms. Gooden will make a presentation on Guyana’s approach to advance cancer awareness as a developing nation in South America. Her presentation will describe how the GCF utilizes important public/private sector partnerships to shift social perceptions and promote early cancer detection and prevention.
Ms. Gooden said, “We are going to be looking at how marketing innovation has brought it all together…the Guyana Cancer Foundation has been doing tireless work over the last 13 years…the statistics are showing that more and more people are coming in to get treatment or are being exposed to treatment.”
At the congress, Ms. Gooden will elaborate on these results and relate how the GCF will build on recent successes. “Through research, through having conversations with several doctors, we are looking at how we shift the taboo overall. So, where marketing is the management of perception, we have been doing work to manage the perception of cancer.”
The organizers of the congress invited the GCF’s President/Founder Ms. Bibi Saeedah Akhtar Hassan to share some of the details and successes of the work it has been doing in Guyana. “So, we will be doing everything from highlighting the outreach that’s being done and taking a look at how she has been able to widen the market and level of awareness,” Ms. Gooden said.
Ms. Oudkerk said Copa Airlines is particularly pleased to contribute to the Foundation’s participation in the congress as Guyana has been selected to make a presentation as a South American country.
