Helping to save lives Breast Cancer Foundation NZ launches fundraising campaign

Protecting rural women

Anew fundraising campaign by Breast Cancer Foundation NZ (BCFNZ) has been launched to protect more rural women from breast cancer through its early detection education programme.

The campaign aims to raise $600,000 – although a generous donor has agreed to match donations up to $300,000 – and BCFNZ is asking Kiwis to help.

The money raised will be used to build a new, state-of-the-art Pink Campervan that will allow its team of specialist breast nurses to reach more women in New Zealand’s most isolated rural communities.

Latest figures show the regions that have the lowest participation rates in the national breast screening programme: Waikato (56.3%), Tairāwhiti (58.7%), Northland (63%) and Bay of Plenty (63.3%). These rates fall well short of BreastScreen Aotearoa’s 70% target.

With one third of breast cancers being diagnosed outside of New Zealand’s main centres, BCFNZ is endeavouring to reach more women in these regions with its education programme to encourage more women to undergo regular breast screening.

“Getting more women into screening and educating them about early detection is key to our vision of reaching zero deaths from breast cancer – especially in the wake of covid-19, which set screening levels back by 10 years,” Ah-Leen Rayner, chief executive of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, says.

“If we don’t act now, we’ll lose one of the best tools we have to deliver our lifesaving messages, as our old Pink Caravan faces too many limitations.”

The charity’s old Pink Caravan, affectionately known as Pinkie, has travelled around the motu since 2014 with breast nurses on board, educating women about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, family risk, and the importance of mammograms and selfchecking.

After thousands of kilometres travelled, the iconic retro caravan has become increasingly unfit for purpose. It relies on volunteers to tow it around, which restricts the timing and location of visits. The charity is building a new custommade campervan that nurses will be able to drive themselves, giving them better access to hard-to-reach communities.

“We’re asking New Zealanders to help us to raise the funds to build a new Pink Campervan, so we can take these messages to every corner of the country, no matter how remote or isolated, where women need us the most. And the impact of your donations will be doubled, as a generous donor has already committed to matching every dollar raised up to $300,000,” Rayner says.

BreastScreen Aotearoa provides free mammograms to women aged 45-69 every two years, with the aim of detecting breast cancer early, at a stage when it is easier to treat and more survivable.

The programme has achieved a 34% reduction in overall breast cancer mortality in NZ women. But after breast screening was paused during covid lockdowns, participation in the programme has fallen dramatically and much work is needed to restore it to precovid levels.

During 2020 and 2021 BCFNZ’s Pink Caravan visited more than 160 towns and sites across New Zealand. BCFNZ nurses addressed the questions and concerns of over 6,000 people, enrolled 10 women each week on average with their local BreastScreen Aotearoa provider, and engaged with women who otherwise wouldn’t be able to speak to a healthcare professional. n

Breast Cancer Foundation NZ has launched a fundraising campaign to raise money to build a new Pink Campervan to travel around rural areas to help women through its early detection education programme.

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Donations towards the new Pink Campervan can be made at www.breastcancerfoundation.org.nz

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