Breast Cancer Awareness for Tongans Project

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Our community partner
Taulama for Tongans

The main goal of this Breast Cancer Awareness for Tongans (BCAT) Project is to increase breast health and breast cancer awareness through culturally and linguistically appropriate education and outreach for Tongan communities in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. APIAHF and Taulama for Tongans collaborated on this project. Taulama for Tongans is a non-profit community based organization in San Mateo, California dedicated to improving the health of all Tongans through education, advocacy, research and service. This project is supported by the San Francisco Bay Area Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The objectives for this BCAT Project included creating culturally and linguistically appropriate breast health educational materials and messages; creating videos to highlight breast health awareness, breast cancer education and promote breast cancer screenings; conducting breast cancer educational workshops and promote breast cancer screenings to the Tongan community at churches and community centers; and creating a patient navigation system to assist women to be screened and provide cancer resources in the area.

Cancer educational materials were translated into Tongan:

• Breast self-examination brochure in English [2] and Tongan [3]
• Steps to breast self-examination card in English and Tongan [4]
• Mammography card in Tongan [5]
• Tongan and Cancer Health Brief in English [6] and Tongan [7]
• Tongan and Cancer "Wiki" Alerts in English [8] and Tongan [9]

Cancer Education and Outreach

On July 9, 2011 APIAHF and Taulama for Tongans hosted the Tongan Cancer Convening in San Bruno, CA. The main goal of this Stanford Hospital and Clinics Community Benefits Program-funded project was to increase awareness of cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship through culturally and linguistically appropriate educational convening for Tongan communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. This convening was just a starting point to addressing cancer openly in the Tongan population and taking action to reducing the cancer burden. Taulama for Tongan's Executive Director, Leafa Tamoepeau shares the highlights of the event:

For more information, contact Roxanna Bautista at (415) 568-3304 or staff at Taulama for Tongans at (650) 286-1500.