Who We Are
We are the African Cervical Health Alliance (ACHA). A network of grassroots Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Africa, working together across diverse geographies, to put community action centre-stage in the elimination of cervical cancer.
CSOs advocating for
Cervical Health in Africa.
Our Vision:
An Africa Free of Cervical Cancer
Our Mission:
Empower communities to increase access to prevention and control of cervical cancer in Africa by 2030, as we work to achieve the WHO 90-70-90 Targets.
Our Values:
Accountability, Cooperation, Trust, Unity, Respect and Integrity
ACHA was born out of a collaborative work between KILELE Health Association and FIND Women’s Health Programme in November 2022.
Africa's Burden
Africa leads the World in Age standardized Incidence and Mortality. Global estimates of incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in 2020: a baseline analysis of the WHO Global Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative
Global estimates of incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in 2020. Source: The Lancet Global Health, Elsevier. February 2023, © 2022 World Health Organization. Elsevier Ltd. Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00501-0
Cervical Cancer incidence rate & case projections in LMICs 2020 – 2120 Elimination Strategy vs. Status Quo Source: WHO Modelling
Cost of Delayed Action
"Cervical cancer causes immense suffering, but it’s almost completely preventable and, if diagnosed early enough, one of the most successfully treatable cancers. We have the tools to make cervical cancer history, but only if we make those tools available to everyone who needs them. Together with our partners in the WHO cervical cancer elimination initiative, that’s what we aim to do.”
Civil Society Involvement
Women in Africa face significant health disparities, inequities and challenges, cervical cancer need not be one of them!
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) play a pivotal role in addressing Women’s Health challenges. In collaboration with various stakeholders, ACHA members leverage resources and expertise in advocating for governments to invest in women’s health, thus protecting families, communities, economies and livelihoods against the devastating effects of cervical cancer.
We work in our countries to:
- Improve access to quality healthcare, by bringing HPV Vaccination and Screening services closer to our women and girls.
- Empower women to make informed decisions, through raising awareness, community education and behaviour change communication.
- Advocating for policy formulation and implementation, cascading our innovative tools for action towards cervical cancer elimination.
Global Strategy for elimination of cervical cancer
In 2020, the World Health Assembly adopted a strategy to eliminate cervical cancer, following a 2018 call by the WHO Director General. The goal is to reduce incidence rates to fewer than 4 cases per 100,000 women within the lifetime of today’s young girls. To reach elimination, efforts must be aligned and accelerated, with every country working towards the following global targets by 2030
90%
90% coverage of HPV Vaccination of girls (by 15 years of age)
70%
70% coverage of screening (70% of women are screened with high-performance tests by the ages of 35 and 45 years)
90%
90% treatment of precancerous lesions and Management of 90% of invasive cancer cases
Our Partners
