In Burkina Faso, where cervical cancer remains a leading cause of death among women, community health worker Madina Ouedraogo is making a powerful impact by promoting self-screening for HPV through door-to-door outreach. As part of Jhpiego’s SUCCESS project, supported by Unitaid, she helps women take control of their health, using accessible self-sampling methods. Her efforts have helped over 200 women in just six months, enabling early detection and treatment of precancerous conditions. Madina’s dedication exemplifies how community-based approaches are crucial in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.
Community health worker, Madina Ouedraogo, knows that when it comes to cervical cancer prevention, every second counts. That’s why, every morning as the day breaks, she commits to reaching as many women in her district as possible with potentially lifesaving information.
In Burkina Faso, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer. In 2022, 988 new cases and 775 deaths were recorded in the country. That’s about two deaths per day.
Equipped with teaching aids, sampling kits, and a mobile phone, Madina weaves through the Bissighin District of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital city. She visits women in markets, farms, and their homes, encouraging them to take charge of their health by self-screening for cervical cancer. This self-sampling method detects human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for over 90% of cervical cancer cases.
Madina conducts this work as part of Jhpiego’s work under the SUCCESS project, supported through investment from Unitaid. SUCCESS supports 33 community health workers (CHWs) and psychosocial counsellors who work in four health regions in Burkina Faso, one of which is the Bissighin District where Madina works. Fully committed, she carries out her work with love and passion.
“I have been a CHW for more than ten years,” she said. “My job is to meet people and inform them of the importance of going to health facilities and adopting the right behaviors to maintain good health.”
Routine screening for life-changing results
Cervical cancer is a reality for many communities. Neighbors, friends, and family members in Ouagadougou have increasingly received heartbreaking cervical cancer prognoses. Relying on CHWs like Madina, SUCCESS aims to reverse this by including community-based screening through self-sampling as a complement to facility-based screening. This approach consists of going into communities to raise awareness among local leaders, women, and men to get as many women as possible to attend a community screening.
“We seek out women between the ages of 30 and 49,” says Madina. “We give them the different methods of sampling (self-sampling or provider-collected) and each one chooses the one that suits them. Two weeks later, the results are available at the health facility, and we send them to the clients’ homes.”
Self-sampling is overwhelmingly selected by women for convenience and privacy. CHWs collect each sample from their clients’ homes and then transport them to health facilities for analysis in a laboratory. The results are then often delivered via phone or door-to-door by a health worker. Those who test positive for HPV are invited to go to the health facility for visual assessment. This determines if there are any precancerous lesions present, and if detected, treatment is administered to eliminate them.
Increased screening rates: A sign that awareness works
In six months, through hard work, Madina has helped more than 200 women self-sample and learn their HPV status. Those who tested positive for HPV were referred by Madina to the closest health facility for care.
“To move toward the goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030, the SUCCESS Project has focused on the involvement of community health workers like Madina,” says Dr. Claude Linda Traoré, the SUCCESS Project Manager. “They play an indispensable role in the success of the project through the tremendous work of raising awareness and mobilizing populations. The results are palpable and Madina’s example demonstrates this.”
Every day, Madina is persistent. She knows that helping women avert this silent and very dangerous disease will give them healthier futures.
“At the beginning, one client I saw was a little reluctant to take the test and I had to convince her several times,” says Madina. “But when her HPV result came back positive, her precancerous lesions were treated. Today, she thanks us for helping her escape cervical cancer.”
Since 2020, the SUCCESS project has collaborated with 150 CHWs and 50 community leaders, reaching 38,360 women. These efforts have led to a significant increase in early cervical cancer screenings and have helped detect cases sooner, ultimately saving lives.
Souleymane Zare is a Communications Officer in Jhpiego’s Burkina Faso office.
This story was reviewed by Tracey Shissler, Project Director for the SUCCESS Project.