The LIVESTRONG® Global Cancer Campaign in South Africa

Based on the level of stigma and the need for accurate information, the campaign created a data-driven, evidence-based campaign that directly challenged negative perceptions or misinformation by collaborating with local organisations and media on the ground. By directly challenging negative beliefs and perceptions of cancer survivors, the campaign was designed to:

• Empower individuals with cancer to take action by speaking out and sharing their stories;
• Increase awareness of cancer as a major health issue within communities and at the country level;
• Save lives by increasing the numbers of people seeking preventative care and early treatment; and
• Improve lives by creating a more supportive environment for persons affected by cancer.

By partnering with local cancer organisations and encouraging survivors to tell their stories, LIVESTRONG and JSI, worked to offer the knowledge and resources needed to successfully confront fears and misconceptions about cancer. Through a four-pronged approach that included mass media, community outreach, events, and public relations, the project promoted survivor stories to raise awareness at the national and community levels about cancer and the stigma associated with it.

The campaign launched with a two-day training bringing together survivors, advocates, and non-governmental organisation leaders from all over South Africa to collaborate and discuss the most crucial issues the nation faces in advocating for cancer survivors' needs. Working closely with local partners, Campaigning for Cancer also held a national forum to raise these issues nationally in order to call the South African government to action on changing policies that will support cancer survivors.

Health, Cancer

In 2010, cancer became the leading cause of death worldwide. Nearly 50% of new cancer incidence and 2/3 of cancer deaths now occur in low and middle-income countries. In many of these countries, the stigma associated with cancer is a barrier to treatment and contributes to the high rates of mortality. Between 1993 and 2005, deaths due to all cancers in women in South Africa increased by more than 80%, and deaths due to all cancers in men in South Africa increased by 45%. Rates of cervical cancer incidence in South Africa are among the highest on the continent.

The LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign is a result of research conducted by LIVESTRONG across 10 countries in 2008 which included more than 4,500 interviews with health care practitioners, cancer survivors, organisational leaders and community members, investigating the nature of the stigma associated with cancer and its impact. The data illustrated that this stigma is pervasive — existing across countries, cultures, and communities. Its origins are many: misinformation, lack of awareness, deeply engrained cultural myths, and fear. Often, people believe that "cancer is not something to be talked about," and quite often, that "cancer is a death sentence."

This stigma is considered problematic because it often frames cancer patients as deserving the development of the disease and it deeply affects the daily lives of those who have it. Many are judged negatively by family and friends, lose sources of income, are socially isolated, or in extreme situations, are outcast from communities and are left to suffer or die alone. Moreover, 41 percent of the people interviewed stated that the fear of a negative result was the main challenge preventing them from receiving screenings. These types of beliefs commonly lead to later stage diagnosis and poorer prognoses, and in places where the stigma is severe enough, soaring mortality rates.

By directly combating this stigma and creating an arena for cancer survivors to share their experiences, the project hopes to increase awareness about the disease and remove barriers that prevent access to care, and thereby begin to change the course of this disease.

LIVESTRONG identified South Africa as the initial site for its international work in stigma due to the high level of stigma in country, its significant cancer prevalence, and the presence of potential partners and collaborators.

Click here for more information on the impact of the programme including an infographic of the campaign results.