The Power of One: Bringing Together the Many “Moroccos” to fight against Breast Cancer

By Suzanne Baazet, Vital Voices Local Advocacy Coordinator for Morocco, Coordinator for the October 2009 Forum for Leadership-Building Against Breast Cancer in Casablanca, Morocco

Participants from 2009 Forum for Leadership-Building Against Breast Cancer, Casablanca, Morocco

When my Moroccan mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer two and a half years ago, I saw first-hand the challenges that patients in Morocco face to obtain accurate information, to create networks of support, and to access quality medical care. After seeing her experience, I vowed that someday I would find a way to personally contribute to the important cause of improving the situation, both medically and socially, of women with breast cancer in Morocco. I was honored to have the opportunity to organize last month the first Forum for Leadership-Building Against Breast Cancer in Casablanca. Associations and advocates play such an important role in Morocco. They raise awareness about the disease and ensure that women have access to screening. In the very sad cases, where women are rejected by their husbands as a result of their illness, the associations serve as shelters and support mechanisms. The opportunity to bring together a group of associations and advocates to provide them with important training about the disease and about how to more effectively manage their associations was a dream come true, but I knew that if we really wanted to help women from all of Morocco, it would not be an easy task.

Having lived in Morocco for many years, one of the things that always amazes me is just how many different “Moroccos” there are. I live in an urban area, which could easily be mistaken for a European city. It is a stark contrast to the mountainous and rural areas where running water and electricity are much-coveted luxuries. If the geographical and socio-economic divides aren’t enough, Morocco has another layer of complexity, which are its languages. People from Casablanca and Rabat tend to prefer French, other urbanites Arabic, those from small villages in the High Atlas or the Rif are most comfortable in their native Amazigh, and in the Northern parts of the country it is much easier to get around in Spanish than any other language. So how do you bring together all of these diverse contingencies to tackle such an important issue as breast cancer?

This was the challenge we faced in organizing the Forum. Many organizations who work in Morocco are never able to overcome the geographical, linguistic, and socioeconomic barriers that prevent people from coming together. At other NGO trainings I have attended, Casablanca and Rabat, which represent only 15% of the country’s population, represent over 90% of the participants. I made it my personal mission to ensure that our training was different. I know that breast cancer touches everyone in Morocco, and I knew that there was an important need to create a network between those who have more access to resources for screening and treatment with those who don’t. We set out to bring all of Morocco together in one room to get all of Morocco thinking about breast cancer.

It wasn’t an easy endeavor, but in the end we were successful. We had every major urban center and many rural areas represented at our Forum. There were men who came to discuss the important role that men need to play in supporting women who have the disease. There were young women interested in running awareness campaigns in high schools. There were psychiatrists interested in starting the first formal patient support groups in Morocco. There were survivors who want to reach out in the most remote areas to ensure early detection and prevention. No matter how diverse the group was, and even though many struggled to find a common language to communicate, the amount of synergy and collaboration that the group identified was impressive. They came up with creative ways that different associations can support each other and continue to collaborate together after the forum. After seeing so many leaders of associations from around Morocco so excited about playing a role in fighting against this disease, I now feel that in my own small way I have been able to contribute to ensuring that Moroccan women win in the fight against breast cancer.