While in Spain vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) and screening programs have managed to reduce deaths from cervical cancer by 13.2% between 2011 and 2019, in the Democratic Republic of Congo the situation is much more dramatic. There, more than 4,800 women die each year because they were not diagnosed in time, making this type of cancer the most frequent and lethal among the female population.
Faced with this reality, the foundation Friends of Monkole The Elikia project - which means "Hope" in Lingala - is being promoted by the Dr. Luis Chiva and a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and students, aims to serve as many women as possible and implement a sustainable early detection system. Since 2017, the initiative has screened more than 3,000 Congolese women thanks to the solidarity and efforts of volunteers and donors.
In this year's campaign, the challenge is even greater: to screen more than 500 women in just 15 days, for which it will be necessary to raise 6,000 euros. The fundraising campaign is supported by the athlete Daniela Fra Palmer, champion in the World Relay 2025, and is being carried out through the platform Migranodearena.org. The team hopes that international solidarity will continue to save lives and sow hope in Kinshasa.
