Many women in Kosovo cannot afford to pay for healthcare or preventative screenings that may enable them to diagnose cancer early on, improving opportunities for treating it.
“Most women hide,” a woman said. “They think it’s a shame [to complain about illnesses] and that they must withstand pain instead. They feel bad telling their husbands that they are sick because they know that medical care will cost money, and their families do not have enough money.”

Therefore, with support from the Kosovo Women’s Fund (€2,160), Women’s Centre Prehja decided to teach rural women how to conduct self-exams towards early detection of breast cancer.
“Just last year we lost six women in our municipality to breast cancer,” said Jeton Rushit, Project Coordinator at Prehja. “They didn’t have good economic conditions to carry out regular medical examinations. Our project aimed to raise awareness among women to prevent breast cancer. We think that such initiatives have a vital role in making women aware of breast cancer, as well as enabling them to receive medical examinations free of charge.”

Prehja began by organizing lectures to raise awareness about breast cancer in four villages of Skenderaj in May 2013.
“It’s of vital importance that you have regular medical check-ups,” Dr. Maloku-Krasniqi told the 200-some women who took part in the lectures. “Only in this way can we take preventive steps and fight breast cancer,” she said.

Prehja plans to continue assisting women suffering from breast cancer by organizing self-support discussions, where women can speak with psychologists and receive advice on how to cope with cancer emotionally.