Information about cancer — what causes it, how to prevent and treat it — saves lives. We can actually prevent up to 50% of all cancers (WHO), but prevention information is often too hard to understand for people, either using difficult vocabulary, out of context for their access to healthcare or living standards, or assuming they have choices that are foreign to their reality. Hesperian’s cancer module responds to this gap in prevention information by explaining terminology, treatments and types of cancer in a way that’s easy to understand and act upon, and it’s in 5 languages!

Why do 70% of global deaths from cancer happen in poor countries? Hesperian’s materials on cancer provide an analysis of why more cancer risks occur among people in poverty and what community health workers can do to prevent cancer. This great resource can be used for training about protection from carcinogens and pollutants, cancer identification, and treatment methods. People already facing cancer will learn information that helps them successfully engage with health systems.

The theme of World Cancer Day 2018 is to explore how each of us can do something to reduce cancer’s impact. Use this module to spread knowledge about cancer and encourage and promote prevention. It is already in 5 languages — English, Spanish, Kreyol, Swahili, and Bangla.