On 9 Nov., young women in femACT Gjilan organized an awareness-raising event on breast cancer. Their goal was to raise awareness among their fellow citizens on preventive methods and dangers of breast cancer.
They positioned themselves in the city center, in front of the theater. Their strategy was to stop citizens passing by and offer them brochures with all necessary information regarding breast cancer. They brought cakes and sweets, so as to gain the attention of as many people as possible.
“We were afraid that people would just throw away our brochures immediately, without reading them. So we prepared cakes and sweets so that people will stop and talk to us,” said one young woman.
In general, the organizers were very happy with how the event went.
“We had a great time today,” said Klementina Kastrati, one of the young women who organized the event. “Most citizens were very happy to stop and talk to us, and they were thankful that we had organized this activity.”
Unfortunately, the organizers soon learned that many of their fellow citizens were not informed at all about this topic and lacked basic knowledge about breast cancer.
“Some citizens were not interested in hearing us out at all. The men would tell us that it is not their business, while many women just turned their head away,” said Majla Salihu. “We even experienced one woman who thought that breast cancer is caused by poor hygiene and “love”.”
Qendresa Hjdari, a representative from the local organization Gruaja Hyjnore came to show her support for femACT’s initiative. “I am very happy to see young women organizing such activities in our city,” she said.
This was the first public initiative organized by young women involved in FemAct. They said that this is only their first activity and that there will be many more to come in the near future.