Breast Cancer Screening in Lebanon

More than one million women in the world will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. For Palestinian refugee women living in Lebanon, that diagnosis is almost certainly a death sentence.

Palestinian refugees often face difficulty accessing adequate healthcare because of recurring violence and movement restrictions, but for those living in Lebanon, the challenges are nearly insurmountable. Unlike most Palestinian refugees living in designated host countries (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon), those living in Lebanon are granted only limited Lebanese citizenship status. This makes finding meaningful employment nearly impossible and prevents most from being able to afford health insurance. Currently, 95% of refugees in Lebanon cannot afford healthcare, and UNRWA is only able to partially cover serious treatments for diseases such as breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and cardiovascular diseases. Refugees who are uninsured and unable to pay the difference for expensive procedures and extended hospital stays, are forced to go without treatment.

Refugee women in Lebanon who suffer from breast cancer, especially those under the age of 50, almost always go undetected and untreated. Sadly, most do not survive.

But breast cancer does NOT have to be a death sentence. We ask you to join UNRWA as it takes steps to combat the devastating shortfall in healthcare for Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon. The Agency is currently working with partners to increase coverage for serious treatments and is introducing ways to improve its preventative capabilities, starting with breast cancer awareness and screenings. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Lebanon, largely because screening centers are rare, and most women are unaware of the importance of being screened.

With your support, UNRWA will be able to run a breast cancer pre-screening awareness campaign, which includes:

• the dissemination of information through leaflets and public posters to facilitate the engagement of more refugee women in breast cancer screening
• the promotion of self-examinations and follow-up measures

Your support will also help UNRWA provide mammograms for women and fine needle aspiration tests (FNA) for women who received abnormal mammograms. UNRWA will then work with partners to ensure that women receive the treatment they need.

For just $50.00, you can provide a refugee woman in Lebanon with the appropriate breast cancer screening, and potentially save her life.

Your donation will help UNRWA detect and fight cancer at its earliest stages, decreasing the need for more serious treatments and helping refugees live longer, healthier lives.

Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation now.