In order to make a difference a joint effort of many people is necessary."
Participation in Course for the Cure™ has helped me to think differently about my work. At first, I was reacting to a need, now I have the chance to have a larger impact in the local community. The course helped me consider my experience in a structured way".
Global Initiative in Romania at a Glance
2007 – 2011
“Flash Mob” mobilization organized to raise awareness by local organizations in Brasov, Agapedia and Alternative Step.
- Advocates gaining knowledge and skills to impact breast cancer outcomes: 83 Course for the Cure™ graduates.
- 67 Organizations involved in the Global Initiative Romania network.
- 5 Community Breast Health Assessments.
- 8 Community Grant projects focusing on support groups, advocacy, and community outreach.
- 100 breast cancer survivors have gained access to quality support groups.
- Over 44,500 signatures collected to support new legislation requiring insurance to cover the cost of breast prostheses for cancer survivors.
- 2,100 individuals learned about breast self awareness (BSA) and the importance of early detection.
- The country’s first-ever breast health network formed by participants and friends of the Global Initiative.
Romania Highlights
Support Groups
Global Initiative Community Grant projects have pioneered support group efforts for breast cancer survivors across Romania. In 2007, when the Global Initiative started in Romania, only one known support group for breast cancer survivors existed. Since then, three projects have worked in close collaboration to train more than 40 support group facilitators. More than 100 breast cancer survivors in 5 communities regularly attend the newly established support groups.
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Community Outreach
When faced with the challenge of raising awareness about breast cancer in urban and rural areas, members of the Global Initiative in Romania decided to take a community-based approach and train local volunteer health promoters to share information about breast self-awareness with women who otherwise wouldn’t receive medical information.
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Advocacy for Breast Cancer Survivors
Advocacy is emphasized in Global Initiative trainings and in many countries there have been very few previous advocacy campaigns for breast cancer. Romania is the only Global Initiative country so far to launch a large-scale national advocacy project, “Dignity and Respect, Rights for Breast Cancer Survivors.”
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Building a Network
In March 2010, all partners, and the most active CFTC graduates, from the 5 Global Initiative cities convened in Sinaia, Romania to form the first-ever local network for breast cancer, “Together for Breast Health.”
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Local Partners
- Lead Partner Organization:
Society for Education on Contraception and Sexuality (SECS), Bucharest - Local Partners Brasov:
Alternative Step and Agapedia - Local Partners Bucharest:
Romanian Women’s Association and Center for Partnership Equality - Local Partners Cluj:
Romanian Cancer Association and Women’s Solidarity - Local Partners Constanta:
Partners in Progress and Women’s League - Local Partner Targu Mures:
Common Destinies
Steering Committee
- Dr. Borbala Koo
President of the Steering Committee; Executive Director of SECS, Bucharest - Dr. Florian Nicula
Oncology Surgeon, Institute for Oncology, Cluj - Stella Hanusz
Director of the Romanian Cancer Association “Common Destinies”, Targu Mures; Breast Cancer Survivor - Anca Labuneþ
Director of The Romanian Society for Cancer, Cluj - Luminita Lupascu
Member of the “Partners in Progress” NGO, Constanta, Breast Cancer Survivor - Maria Frangeti
Director of the Women’s League, Constanta - Victoria Asanache
Director of Renasterea Foundation, Bucharest