Global Initiative Against HPV and Cervical Cancer (GIAHC)

OUR MISSION Saving lives from cervical cancer, one woman at a time, one day at a time. OUR VISION For women to live in a cervical cancer-free world by embracing the power of collective engagement. CORE VALUES No woman deserves to die of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a preventable public health disease that can almost be eradicated through vaccination, screening and early treatment programs. BACKGROUND Why are HPV and cervical cancer important? HPV, or the human papillomavirus, causes a variety of diseases and cancers in humans, the most serious consequence of which is cervical cancer. Eighty percent of cervical cancer cases and 85% of cervical-cancer-related deaths occur in the developing world. Most women present for treatment in very advanced stages of the disease and therein lies the challenge. However, early detection can easily decrease the number of advanced cervical cancer cases, the financial burden of treating advanced cases, and the loss of life secondary to the disease. Lack of knowledge, poor infrastructure, and limited finances make progress in the foreseeable future questionable. Hence, creative models through which people, communities and societies engage collectively, with people helping people with or without government, are necessary for successful control of this cancer. As most developed countries such as the U.S. also have pockets of the developing world within them, learning from one another and finding solutions to overcome such challenges is a goal we strive for.